Levi's Stadium

Pick a side first

At Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers, choose the side of the field before you choose the section. For any afternoon game in September or October, buy on the west side, where the suite tower rises; the open east side has nothing overhead, so it bakes all afternoon. After dark, or once the calendar reaches December, that penalty disappears and the east stands are frequently the smarter buy.

Once the side is settled, the strongest view in the building is a mid-height row in the lower bowl, inside the 20s. With 68,500 seats (about 75,000 when expanded) and roughly two-thirds of them on the 100 level, most buyers end up closer to the field than they would at an older NFL stadium.

Lower bowl, clubs and the tower

The stadium is deliberately asymmetrical. The SAP Tower on the west holds most of the suites and the stadium's only upper deck. The east side is a wide, open slope of seats.

• 100 level: a full ring around the field. Section 101 sits beside Xfinity Gate A and numbering runs around to 146. You enter near 105 and 106 through Toyota Gate F, or near 129 and 130 through Sutter Health Gate C.
• 200 level: club seats. The tower contains three lounges (United, Cache Creek Field and Graton Resort and Casino Winners), and the stadium also lists the Levi's 501, SHARP and East Field clubs.
• 300 level: the top tier, reached from its own concourse.

Sources disagree slightly on the premium count: Wikipedia lists 174 suites, while Stadiums of Pro Football cites about 165 suites and roughly 8,500 club seats. The stadium's published guides also do not say which bench sits on which sideline, so if sitting behind the home bench is the goal, confirm it on the event map.

Seats by event: 49ers, concerts and soccer

49ers games

Mid-level rows of the lower bowl on the west sideline combine the best angle with afternoon shade. Upper 100-level rows still feel close because the bowl is so deep. If budget allows, 200-level club seats add indoor lounge access, which is welcome on a hot afternoon or a cold December night.

Concerts

Stage position changes from tour to tour, so use the event map. Summer shows here can draw enormous crowds: Ed Sheeran set the attendance record of 80,058 on September 16, 2023.

Soccer and big events

For its half-dozen 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, capacity was listed at 68,827. Two Super Bowls, WrestleMania 31 and a College Football Playoff National Championship have also played here. For these events, demand and the field layout differ from a regular season game, so read the event-specific seat map closely.

Where the heat turns a seat into a bad deal

The sun problem is real. During the first few years, heat exhaustion sent several fans for treatment at August and September games, and much of the east grandstand cleared out on the hottest afternoons. Height limits connected to nearby San Jose airport keep the team from adding cover.

• East-side seats at an early-season day game. Full exposure for three hours or more.
• The 300 level on a hot afternoon off the shaded side. High, exposed and far from the field.
• Low end-zone rows. Close to the action at your end, but hard to read plays at the far goal line.

If you do end up in the sun, Guest Services stations around the stadium hand out free sunscreen. Reserved Seat covers every order with a 100% guarantee.

Trains, lots and tailgate rules

Transit

Rail is the least stressful way in. VTA light rail drops you at Great America station, just north of the stadium. Caltrain riders change at Mountain View for the VTA Orange Line. Regional ACE and Capitol Corridor trains stop at Santa Clara–Great America, and ACE adds service on 49ers game days. VTA buses also stop where Tasman Drive meets Great America Parkway. Check the stadium's transit page for schedules.

Parking

As of the 2026 season, buy parking ahead through Ticketmaster; the stadium cautions that pay-on-arrival lots are few and may charge more. Disabled parking is in Red Lot 1, and mobility shuttles run from Blue Lot 1 plus Pink Lots 4, 5 and 8. A free bike valet runs for events, though stadium pages place it in different spots (two lots on one page, beside Gates A and C on another), so verify before you ride. Each event lists its own rideshare zones.

Tailgating

Stay inside your lined space, keep canopies to 8 by 8 feet or smaller, leave glass and amplified sound at home, and wrap up after kickoff.

Bags, gates and payment

The stadium's bag page, last revised in July 2025, says transparent bags are required at every event unless that event announces otherwise. What gets through:

• one see-through bag no bigger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches (clear backpacks and fanny packs count);
• a gallon-size clear zip-top bag;
• a hand-size clutch, 4.5 by 6.5 inches at most; and
• a seat cushion.

Medical bags pass after inspection, diaper bags pass with a child, and strollers go to Guest Services. Anything else returns to your car. Review the bag policy again before you go.

• Entrances: the three main gates are A (Xfinity), C (Sutter Health) and F (Toyota).
• Tickets: stored on your phone in the 49ers app.
• Payment: card and mobile only; reverse ATMs that load cash onto a card are near sections C117, 130 and 308.
• Leaving: once you exit, you cannot come back in.
• Smoking: designated areas only.

Need a charge? Stations are in the main Team Store, the United Club and two seating sections. The team's museum is also inside the stadium.

Background: Santa Clara's big-event stadium

The 49ers moved from Candlestick Park into Levi's Stadium, at 4900 Marie P. DeBartolo Way, when it opened in July 2014. The Santa Clara Stadium Authority owns the building, the team runs it, and Levi Strauss and Co. bought a 20-year naming deal in 2013. The grass playing surface gave the team repeated headaches in the early years.

Sustainability was part of the brief: no U.S. pro football stadium earned LEED Gold before this one, and the roof carries solar panels, plants and the Faithful Farm, where produce is grown. The calendar stretches past the NFL season of September through early January. Super Bowl 50 was played here in February 2016 and Super Bowl LX in February 2026. From 2014 to 2019 the stadium staged the Pac-12 title game and a bowl game each December, it hosted the national championship of the College Football Playoff in January 2019, and WrestleMania 31 filled it in March 2015. Summer stadium tours fill in the rest.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Levi's Stadium
• Levi's Stadium – A-Z Guide
• Levi's Stadium – Bag Policy
• Levi's Stadium – Parking
• Levi's Stadium – Public Transportation
• Stadiums of Pro Football – Levi's Stadium