The report says downtown recorded more than 900,000 visits since the tournament began, far above the original projection of 350,000. San Pedro Square became the centre of the action, with the city and San Jose Earthquakes helping turn the one-block mall into a daily football gathering.
Organisers reportedly expanded the number of jumbo screens from two to four as demand grew. For local businesses, the effect was immediate.
“The economic input over that period, we'll probably never see that again,” Mulvehill said, describing the crowds moving through the bars and restaurants.
The report quotes Sushi Confidential owner Randy Musterer comparing the tournament’s strongest days with more than six Super Bowls in sales. That kind of burst matters for a downtown still rebuilding its post-pandemic office economy.
City leaders also see evidence that major-event planning can work beyond a single weekend. Mayor Matt Mahan pointed to a $500,000 events programme approved two years earlier, saying: “This would not have happened without City Hall choosing two years ago to put half a million dollars in.”
The celebration has not been without disruption. The report cites two reported stabbings after a 30 June match, declarations of unlawful assembly and reports of a shooting after another major gathering. Those claims remain part of a single-source account, but they underline the difficulty of managing football crowds across several weeks.
John Poch of the San Jose Sports Authority summed up the planning challenge: “The Super Bowl is one game on the weekend. For this, we knew we had to plan for 104 matches over 39 days.”
The final is the immediate test. Afterward, San Jose’s next storyline will be whether football leaves behind stronger event infrastructure, repeat visitors and a safer blueprint for the next big crowd.