#17 San Jose/ Santa Clara
▶ RÉSUMÉ: 2018 and 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships; 2019 College Football Championship Game; 2019 NHL All-Star Game; 2019 USA Swimming Championship; 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers; 2022 USA Water Polo Junior Olympics; 2023 USA Gymnastics U.S. Championships; 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regionals; 2024 AHL All-Star Classic; 2024 USA Fencing North American Cup; and 2024 Sports Events and Tourism Association CEO Summit.
▶ RECENT WINS: This summer’s Copa América; Super Bowl LX; 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regionals; and 2026 FIFA World Cup (six matches).
Hosting events such as the U.S. Figure Skating and USA Gymnastics national championships — two Olympic sports events that drive significant room nights and TV exposure — helped boost San Jose’s downtown visitor numbers last year to 96% of what it was in 2019, according to the most recent “Downtown Recovery” report, a joint effort among Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, University of Toronto School of Cities and the University of Texas at Austin. Using location-based services data from mobile devices, the research shows that Las Vegas was the only major league city with a higher level of returning to pre-COVID business conditions (103%).
▶ PROGRESS DELAYED: The $8 billion Related Santa Clara site, a proposed 240-acre mixed-use development adjacent to Levi’s Stadium and the San Jose McEnery Convention Center led by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, has been delayed several times. Additionally, a plan to extend Bay Area Rapid Transit service 6 miles into downtown San Jose and ending in the city of Santa Clara has also stalled. It would be the largest single public infrastructure project ever constructed in Santa Clara County.
The 4,200-seat Tech CU Arena, the 20-month-old crown jewel of a 200,000-square-foot expansion of the Sharks Ice at San Jose public skating facility (now the largest ice facility in the United States), gives the city a venue smaller than SAP Center that can host events such as last month’s AHL All-Star Classic. Additionally, a Major League Cricket stadium is in development on a 14-acre parcel at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds.
▶ STAY AND PLAY: Fans can immerse themselves in the Silicon Valley vibe by visiting The Tech Interactive, devoted to the exploration of science and technology.