Levi's Stadium In Santa Clara Shows Off Its Upgrades

San Jose Spotlight

August 11, 2025

Levi’s Stadium is getting a facelift ahead of hosting major sports events in 2026 — and local fans are reaping the benefits.

The San Francisco 49ers unveiled $200 million in renovations to the stadium Thursday, including new 4k video boards. The renovations come as Silicon Valley prepares to host national and global audiences, with Super Bowl 60 and the FIFA World Cup happening next year.

Al Guido, president of the 49ers, said the upgrades prepare the stadium to offer a world-class experience to an incoming global audience and hometown fans for the foreseeable future.

San Francisco 49ers President Al Guido spoke about the Levi’s Stadium renovations at a season ticket holders' exclusive event Aug. 7, 2025. Photo by B. Sakura Cannestra/San Jose Spotlight

“Those first couple years were tough on the field and, frankly, in the fan experience,” Guido said at the event. “We’ve put over $300 million into this building over the last decade … what you’re gonna see in there is an upgraded fan experience.”

Along with new video boards — which team officials said are the largest of their kind in the NFL — the stadium has upgraded WiFi and cellular connectivity, as well as a new entertainment production room for broadcasting games. That includes the upcoming Super Bowl and World Cup matches.

Ted Slominski, the team’s chief broadcast and audio/video engineer, said the new production systems operate wirelessly on the building’s enhanced fiber optic network rather than traditional cables. This translates to better quality broadcasts.

“Being in the heart of Silicon Valley, we really want to be on the cutting edge of the technology,” Laura Johnson, senior director of game presentation and live events, said. “With the world-class events that are coming here, we wanted to have world-class production in place.”

The renovations are being finished just in time for the NFL season, and ahead of next year’s Super Bowl and World Cup. Zaileen Janmohamed, CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee, said these upgrades increase the stadium’s status and showcase Bay Area innovation for sports fans in a unique way.

“People from all over the globe will descend on the Bay Area next year, and we want them to remember this journey for the rest of their lives,” Janmohamed told San José Spotlight. “These next-gen and state-of-the-art updates at Levi’s Stadium are a big piece of that equation, and also add value to our long-term focus on bringing more global sporting events to the Bay in the years to come.”

San Jose and Santa Clara officials are preparing for an influx of visitors, especially fans seeking out community spaces. San Jose designated six downtown areas as “entertainment zones,” where sports fans will be able to buy and consume “to-go” alcoholic beverages during special event hours. Santa Clara officials have been brainstorming events to keep the celebrations rolling throughout the community in the months between the Super Bowl in February and World Cup games in June.

The 49ers paid for the renovations, according to spokesperson Jacob Fill. Santa Clara’s 2010 Measure J protects the city’s general fund from being used on the stadium.

While renovations will improve the experience for people visiting during the upcoming major sports events, they’ll have lasting benefits for local fans. Guido said the 49ers have been able to renew 98% or more season tickets every year since Levi’s Stadium opened in 2016, showing the team’s dedicated fan base.Fans Oona Smith and Gordon Jong said these renovations have been a long time coming, notably the reupholstered stadium seats. Jong said he’s glad the major sports events have inspired improvements, given the high price of tickets. Smith said upping the stadium quality will help leave a good impression on visitor during the Super Bowl and World Cup.

“This is an iconic stadium in an iconic city with an iconic team. We need to show our best, we’re going to have people coming from all countries,” Smith told San José Spotlight. “I really believe that the more positivity here benefits all of us and the team.”

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