Santa Clara County transit agencies are gearing up to get a piece of $8.8 million in federal transit funding designated for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) said over email the agency planned to apply with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for a portion of the funds.
“Having run additional (full) buses and trains and increased security for the Super Bowl, we expect to do the same for FIFA. VTA will apply for as much of the cost of that increased service as FTA will award us,” the statement said.
Dan Lieberman, public information officer for Caltrain, said the agency was working with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the transportation planning and financing agency for the Bay Area, to determine Caltrain’s application amount. The funds will be used to support security, overtime and potential additional service, he said.
Lieberman added the agency would also be seeking up to $12 million to support Transit Police from a $50 million pot shared across Bay Area agencies provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security and managed by the Bay Area Host Committee.
Lenka Wright, chief communications officer for Mountain View, said city officials had not applied for any FTA grants for the FIFA World Cup and did not plan to do so.
The city offers the Mountain View Community Shuttle, a free service with 50 stops in the city funded through business license tax revenue, and the MVgo Shuttle, which has four free routes provided through the Mountain View Transportation Management Association (MTMA), a nonprofit organization.
The total grant amount – $8,807,888 – comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support local public transportation as the region prepares to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The San Francisco Bay Area will host six matches from the FIFA World Cup 2026 – five group fixtures and one knockout game – at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
John Bodnar, director of the Office of Transit Programs at FTA, said during a webinar on March 11 the eligible transit activities included planning, operating and capital expenses. He said 70% of the funding is distributed by a host region’s stadium capacity and 30% by the count of matches being hosted in the stadiums.
“If you provide public transportation service to an urbanized area that is hosting a World Cup match, you are eligible for the funding,” Bodnar said.
An FTA press release stated public transportation services did not include Amtrak, charter buses or courtesy shuttles for patrons of specific establishments. Services that have premium fares for World Cup events or events that require riders to be World Cup ticket holders are not eligible.
The area matches are: Qatar vs. Switzerland on Saturday, June 13; Austria vs. Jordan on Tuesday, June 16; Kosovo, Romania, Slovakia or Turkey vs. Paraguay on Friday, June 19; Jordan vs. Algeria on Monday, June 22; Paraguay vs. Australia on Thursday, June 25 and a knockout game in the Round of 32 being played on Wednesday, July 1.
There are 104 games and 48 teams competing in 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States this summer. In total, $100,250,212 has been apportioned across the host cities.
The grant is available across a wide swath of the Bay Area, with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11) and Representatives Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) all sharing in the announcement of the grant funding.
“As the Bay Area prepares to welcome the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this federal investment will help ensure our public transportation system is ready to meet the moment,” Pelosi said in a press release. “These funds will strengthen transit connections across our region, making it easier for residents and visitors alike to travel safely and efficiently while delivering long-lasting improvements for our community.”
Liccardo said, “This investment will keep residents and global visitors moving, so no one misses a minute of World Cup action, while reducing congestion on our roads.”
