SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially underway, and the Bay Area will get to see a piece of the action during the supersized tournament.
The U.S. will host 78 matches, six of which will take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The venue will be known as the San Francisco Bay Area stadium for the duration of the tournament.
Following Paraguay's stunning 1-0 upset over Turkiye, the United States Men's National Soccer Team has officially clinched first place in Group D, securing a highly anticipated Round of 32 knockout match at Levi's Stadium.
The crucial single-elimination game is locked for Wednesday, July 1 at 5 p.m.
We're bringing you live updates and everything you need to know.
Starting on June 11, fans can watch matches for free from more than 30 locations as well as participating sports bars around the Bay Area. The Golden State Warriors and Valkyries' Thrive City big screen at Chase Center is one, along with China Basin at Mission Rock near the San Francisco Giants' ballpark. Also, PIER 39 should provide a picturesque backdrop for games.
In the East Bay, the independent Oakland Ballers team will host games at its home field of Raimondi Park. The famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is another spot.
"The FIFA World Cup 2026 is about bringing communities together and celebrating the beautiful game in every corner of our region," said Zaileen Janmohamed, President & CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee. "We're harnessing the breadth, diversity, and natural beauty of the entire Bay Area to ensure that no matter where you live or visit, you'll have access to fun, community celebrations. This regional approach reflects our commitment to inclusivity and gives every county and community the opportunity to activate and be part of this historic moment."
For a full list of events, click here.
The United States has punched its ticket to the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup after beating Australia 2-0 in front of a raucous crowd in Seattle on Friday.
This is the first time since 1930 that the US has won back-to-back matches at the World Cup.
The parent company of Sam Adams said its Boston Taproom ran out of the brand's flagship Boston Lager over the weekend because Scotland soccer fans in Boston for the 2026 World Cup drank four times as much as the bar usually sells.
Boston Beer Co. said in a news release that from Thursday to Sunday, the Tartan Army -- Scotland's supporters organization -- drank four times what the company normally stocks during a typical four-day holiday stretch like the Fourth of July, adding that it had to schedule an emergency delivery of beer Saturday morning and are adding extra deliveries this week to make sure it has enough.
"We've never seen anything like it," Billy DeCain of the Sam Adams Boston Taproom told NBC Boston.
"The White Bull Tavern, there was no beer," Scottish fan Dave Orr told NBC. "The Scottish fans just drank the place dry and all they had was Bud Light."
"Pretty much everything. We ran out of everything," Paul Morris of The White Bull Tavern said. "Tennent's being number one.
"The fans have been unbelievable. They're great -- fun, drinking, partying -- having a great time."
Boston has been taken over by Scotland fans the past few days, as they've traveled over the Atlantic to witness their men's soccer team play in its first World Cup in 28 years.
In a news release, Boston Beer Co. said, "There are 20 beers on tap there, including many you can only get at the taproom, but they were basically only drinking Boston Lager. We're adding extra deliveries this week to make sure we have enough."
Noelle Somers, chief operating officer at Hennessy's Bar, told The Boston Globe that the sales "tripled St. Patrick's Day."
"We've been here for over 30 years, and we've never seen anything like it," she told the Boston Globe.
On Saturday night, the fans watched Scotland defeat Haiti 1-0 at Gillette Stadium.
And after navigating the packed trains and traffic jams, the party continued long into the morning across Boston's many bars. Then, just under 24 hours after Scotland's win on the pitch, the Boston Red Sox put on "Scotland Day" at Fenway Park.
The Tartan Army led a fan march from Evans Way Park to the ballpark. It was led by a cohort of folks playing bagpipes as they brought a touch of Scotland to New England.
A conservative estimate saw at least 5,000 fans take part -- but judging by eye in Fenway Park, thousands more made the trip to watch the Red Sox play the Texas Rangers.
Scotland next play against Morocco on Friday at Gillette Stadium.
The eight teams playing World Cup matches on Thursday are taking part in an International Day for Countering Hate Speech commemoration, with a pre-match exchange of pennants denouncing such language.
Captains involved in the Czechia-South Africa, Mexico-South Korea, Switzerland-Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada-Qatar matches will have pennants reading "We Play Together. We Stand Against Hate" with the wording in English on one side and the teams' native language on the other.
FIFA says it has deleted more than 30 million abusive posts and comments since its social media protection service was created before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA says it deleted nearly 400,000 negative or abusive posts in the first few days of this World Cup - more than it did in the entirety of the 2022 event.
Other stadium activations involving that message are planned during Thursday's matches.
The mother of Cape Verde star goalkeeper Vozinha has been granted a visa to enter the United States in time for her 40-year-old son's next World Cup match, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Wednesday.
Vozinha became an early sensation of the World Cup after making key saves in a 0-0 draw with Spain, one of the tournament favorites that was expected to rout tiny Cape Verde.
After the match, Vozinha said his mother had not been able to secure a visa to enter the U.S. to see him play.
Jeffries said he spoke to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and "asked the State Department to do everything in their power to ensure that his mother can attend Cabo Verde's next match."
Jeffries said all fees have been waived and travel arrangements are being made to get her to Cape Verde's next game Sunday against Uruguay in Miami.
"I thank Secretary Rubio, U.S. State Department officials, the government of Cabo Verde and FIFA for working together to make this possible," Jeffries said.
Vozinha made seven saves against Spain as Cape Verde delivered a stunning World Cup debut. Afterward, Vozinha said his mother had been unable to gather the money in time to secure a visa to enter the U.S.
Cape Verde is among 50 countries whose citizens face bonds of up to $15,000 to secure a U.S. visa, part of President Donald Trump's broader crackdown on travelers from countries that officials said had high rates of visa overstays. The Trump administration last month suspended the requirement for ticket-holders from Cape Verde and four other World Cup nations, but critics said it was too late for many fans.
The State Department had said it had no record of her ever applying for a visa, but that it was working on resolving the situation with Cape Verde authorities. The department said it had notified all players from World Cup countries affected by the $15,000 visa bond requirement that they and their families would be exempt from posting the bond.
A person familiar with the situation said that the State Department believes that Vozinha's mother did not apply for a visa because she did not hold a valid Cape Verde passport, but that she is now in the process of getting one.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential visa deliberations.
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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed reporting from Washington.
