SOCCER FANS from around the world are expected to flood Santa Clara this weekend for the FIFA World Cup, bringing team chants, fan marches and crowds to Levi’s Stadium — but outdoor merchants and food vendors may not benefit from the event at all.
Santa Clara has created a “special event zone” to temporarily restrict sidewalk vending, outdoor merchandise sales, food sales, mobile advertising, product giveaways and temporary structures within a designated area around the stadium during World Cup events. Officials said these restrictions are necessary for crowd control, emergency access, public safety and counterfeit enforcement.
“Twenty days is a long time for licensed hot dog vendors to be out of it,” Mayor Lisa Gillmor said at the May 26 City Council meeting. “This is supposed to be a plus for everyone, not a negative, where you actually lose your business because of this.”
Despite those concerns, the council unanimously approved the special event zone. The restrictions will remain in effect from June 12 through July 2 and cover key corridors surrounding Levi’s Stadium, including portions of Great America Parkway and Tasman Drive.
The restrictions sparked discussion among councilmembers over whether the zone is primarily a public safety measure or a way to limit commercial activity during one of the world’s largest sporting events.
District 1 Councilmember Albert Gonzalez said the restrictions are intended to protect established businesses near Levi’s Stadium from unlicensed vendors seeking to capitalize on World Cup crowds.
“The way I look at it is you’re helping our existing businesses,” Gonzalez told San José Spotlight. “You don’t have anybody else coming in with food trucks and taking some of your business away.”
Gonzalez said existing businesses within the zone can continue operating as normal and may still use signs and promotions that comply with city regulations. He added the event zone is smaller than the one established for Super Bowl 60 after city officials determined some areas saw little impact from outside commercial activity.
A spokesperson for Iguanas Mexican Food in Santa Clara, who requested anonymity for privacy reasons, said unlicensed vendors can affect restaurants near Levi’s Stadium, particularly during major events when businesses are competing for customers. He said businesses are often hesitant to publicly criticize vendors because they don’t want to appear unsupportive, but said the competition can affect sales during large events at Levi’s Stadium.
“The fact that a street vendor comes in this area does affect a lot because all the profits go to another food business,” the spokesperson told San José Spotlight, adding that restaurants near the stadium can pay between $18,000 and $22,000 in monthly rent.
Not all businesses inside the special event zone expect the restrictions to have a significant impact on profits.
Michelle Dinh, assistant manager at HiroNori Craft Ramen near Levi’s Stadium, said traffic and limited parking are more noticeable than vendor activity.
“I haven’t really seen any vendors,” Dinh told San José Spotlight. “I would say business is not too affected. If anything, it’s just a lot of traffic.”
City officials said the special event zone has been shaped by lessons learned during Super Bowl 60, when enforcement teams redirected three food vendors and 14 merchandise vendors operating near the stadium.
Officials are also preparing for fan marches, a tradition common at international soccer events where groups of supporters gather and walk together to stadiums while chanting and singing. City staff said organizers have discussed the possibility of fan groups traveling from hotels and gathering locations throughout the region to Levi’s Stadium on match days.
Zaileen Janmohamed, president and CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee, the nonprofit organization coordinating regional World Cup activities, said the restrictions are intended to help manage crowds and keep visitors safe during the tournament.
Janmohamed said the special event zone is smaller than a similar zone used during Super Bowl 60 and noted that the Santa Clara Police Department and Levi’s Stadium operators are handling security and crowd management decisions.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Bay Area communities to be part of the world’s largest sporting event,” Janmohamed told San José Spotlight. “We are making history and driving incredible economic impact by hosting back-to-back global sporting events in the same year.”
Contact Maryanne Casas-Perez at maryanne@sanjosespotlight.com or @CasasPerezRed on X.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.