San Francisco’s mayor has taken a visible, hands-on role in the city’s World Cup experience, blending long-standing personal fandom with public appearances across packed watch venues. He rises early on weekends to catch live English Premier League fixtures, has attended five World Cups and recently joined a promotional tour where he lifted the trophy with former Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva.
Since the tournament began, the mayor has been stopping at fan zones and crowded bars during live matches, moving through the city with his sleeves rolled up and interacting with boisterous crowds in pubs decorated with national flags. Speaking in a park with the Golden Gate Bridge behind him, he said:
and after pausing briefly to check the score of Brazil v Japan he added:"I’ve been a huge soccer fan my whole life. A lot of people are excited about the World Cup. I kind of live and die soccer,"
"So, for me, this isn’t just for this month. I get into soccer all year round."
Identifying as a supporter of Premier League side Leeds United, the mayor, 49, has a long personal history with the global tournament. He attended the World Cups of 1994, 2010, 2014 and 2022 - on the latter occasion attending five matches across three days - and now finds the event unfolding in his home region, with six World Cup games taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area. The spotlight includes a last-32 match featuring the United States against Bosnia.
His relationship with the sport extends beyond fandom. The mayor is an investor in 49ers Enterprises, the commercial arm of the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise. That entity acquired a majority stake in Scottish club Rangers last year and took over Leeds United in 2023. On the state of his Premier League club, he remarked:
"We are now staying up again. We’ve got a long way to go to get to that top six, to get into European competition, but I believe we can."
Since his election in 2024, the mayor has positioned himself as a pragmatic, moderate Democrat and a hands-on leader promising to tackle downtown decline, the fentanyl crisis and pervasive homelessness. A philanthropist and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, he invested $10.5 million of his own money into his mayoral campaign, according to disclosures. The next largest campaign donor was his mother, Mimi Haas, a major Levi shareholder whose 2021 net worth was reported as $1.4 billion.
His public persona has been cultivated through frequent, informal appearances across the city. He has posted videos from farmers markets, officiated same-sex marriages, eaten at local restaurants and handed out ice cream. During the World Cup his social media presence intensified, capturing moments of him sitting on floors at watch parties and moving between pubs to see matches ranging from Lionel Messi’s brace for Argentina to the U.S. victory over Australia, and games such as France v Senegal and Ghana v Panama.
"We’re hitting every spot around the city," he said of his tour of venues. "It’s been electric. Our neighbourhoods have been teeming with fans from around the world." The influx of supporters and vibrant public gatherings have been framed by the mayor as an opportunity to showcase San Francisco’s resurgence.
Last year the mayor used his influence to persuade the U.S. president to abandon a planned federal deployment of National Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to San Francisco, arguing such a move would hamper the city’s recovery. Speaking about progress, he pointed to a 30% reduction in crime last year and said the city recorded its lowest homicide rate since 1954, while acknowledging that work remains.
He argued that large-scale events such as the World Cup contribute to that ongoing recovery by sustaining momentum and bringing people together. He said:
"We’re really proud of where we’ve come. We still have work to do. And that’s where events like the World Cup help us continue that momentum."
Operationally, the World Cup’s use of local facilities is temporary. Once the tournament concludes, the stadium used for matches will revert to the San Francisco 49ers and the temporary coverings hiding its commercial name will be removed - specifically the large tarpaulin that has been concealing the Levi’s Stadium branding.
Looking ahead, the mayor expressed hope that the tournament’s local presence will leave a positive social legacy.
"We need things to unify us. The World Cup here in North America and here in the San Francisco Bay Area is doing just that, bringing people together, uniting people. We need more of that."
Context and civic implications
The mayor’s World Cup activity combines personal passion and political visibility: attending matches and events, promoting the city’s appeal during the tournament and highlighting economic and social benefits tied to fan gatherings. His investor role in 49ers Enterprises connects municipal optics to professional sports business interests, while the use of major venues for international matches places temporary operational demands on local infrastructure and event management.