Sports Business Journal ranks the city of San Jose as the second-best city in California for hosting sporting events in 2024 poll

SAN JOSE, Calif (March 22, 2024) – The City of San Jose has been ranked by the Sports Business Journal as the second-best city in California and the No. 17-ranked city in the United States for hosting sporting events in 2024. In its second annual poll, the Sports Business Journal’s ranked the 25 best sports business cities, focusing on those that have been the most successful at attracting and hosting sporting events between 2017 and 2023, which are major economic drivers for these communities.

In its ranking, the City of Santa Clara was paired with the City of San Jose to create one market. For a complete list of the Sports Business Journal’s year-end rankings of the Top-25 Cities Most Successful at Hosting Sporting Events, click HERE.

The Sports Business Journal’s 2024 Best Sports Business Cities franchise focuses on the U.S. cities that have had the most recent success at attracting and hosting sporting events. The SBJ built a database of 1,500 events that have taken place and/or been awarded since Jan. 1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2023. During that time, the San Jose Market has hosted the 2018 and 2023 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships; 2019 College Football Championship Game; 2019 NHL All-Star Game; 2019 USA Swimming Championship; 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First & Second Round; 2019 & 2021 NCAA Women’s College Cup; 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers; 2022 USA Water Polo Junior Olympics; 2023 USA Gymnastics U.S. Championships; 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regionals; 2024 AHL All-Star Classic; 2024 USA Fencing North American Cup; and 2024 Sports Events and Tourism Association CEO Summit.

Additionally, the San Jose/Santa Clara market will host this summer’s Copa América; Super Bowl LX; 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Regionals; and the 2026 FIFA World Cup (six matches).

“Sports and entertainment are thriving here in San Jose,” said City of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. “We are extremely proud to be the first city to host both the U.S. Figure Skating and U.S. Gymnastics National Championships in the same year. And with Super Bowl LX , NCAA Men’s Basketball Regionals and the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to the capital of Silicon Valley, the best is yet to come!”

“The San Jose Sports Authority is honored to have been recognized by the Sports Business Journal as the No. 2-ranked city in California and the No. 17-ranked city in the United States for hosting sporting events in the United States,” said John Poch, Executive Director of the San Jose Sports Authority. “Thank you to our incredible event partners who have contributed so much to our sports tourism sector. It all starts with our partnerships with Visit San Jose, SAP Center at San Jose, Sharks Sports & Entertainment, Team San Jose, and the City of San Jose for their collaborative spirit. They are the cornerstones in our efforts to secure sporting events for our city and region. Their partnership is the reason that our community thrives.”

“Sports and entertainment events are crucial to a thriving community, not just creating a sense of civic pride but also filling hotel rooms, local restaurants, and bars,” added Sharks Sports & Entertainment President Jonathan Becher.“The year-round NHL games, AHL games, NCAA events, U.S. Figure Skating Association events, U.S.A. Gymnastics events, and youth tournaments have an incredible economic impact on the City of San Jose. We are thankful to the San Jose Sports Authority, Team San Jose, and the City of San Jose for their partnership.”

Hosting events such as the U.S. Figure Skating and USA Gymnastics national championships — two Olympic sports events that drive significant room nights and TV exposure — helped boost San Jose’s downtown visitor numbers last year to 96% of what it was in 2019, according to the most recent “Downtown Recovery” report, a joint effort among Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, University of Toronto School of Cities and the University of Texas at Austin. Using location-based services data from mobile devices, the research shows that Las Vegas was the only major league city with a higher level of returning to pre-COVID business conditions (103%).

The 4,200-seat Tech CU Arena, the 20-month-old crown jewel of a 200,000-square-foot expansion of the Sharks Ice at San Jose public skating facility (now the largest ice facility in the United States), gives the city a venue smaller than SAP Center that can host events such as last month’s AHL All-Star Classic. Additionally, a Major League Cricket stadium is in development on a 14-acre parcel at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds.