Levi ' s Stadium Levi ' s Stadium is a football stadium in Santa Clara , California which serves as the current home of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League . In 2006 , the 49ers initially proposed constructing a new stadium at Candlestick Point in San Francisco , the site of their now - former home , Candlestick Park . The project , which included plans for retail space and housing improvements , was considered to have been of great potential benefit to the nearby historically blighted neighborhood of Hunters Point . After negotiations with the city of San Francisco fell through , the 49ers focused their attention on a site adjacent to their administrative offices and training facility in Santa Clara , a South Bay city adjacent to San Jose . In June 2010 , Santa Clara voters approved a measure authorizing the city government to lease land to the 49ers Stadium Authority to construct a new football stadium . The necessary funds were secured in December 2011 , allowing construction to start in April 2012 . Levi ' s Stadium opened on July 17 , 2014 . Levi ' s Stadium is scheduled to host Super Bowl 50 on February 7 , 2016 , The 2015 NHL Stadium Series featuring the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks on February 21 , 2015 , and WrestleMania 31 on March 29 , 2015 , and will be the new permanent home of college football ' s annual San Francisco Bowl . Levi ' s Stadium will also serve as the site of the Pacific - 12 Football Championship Game for at least three years , beginning in 2014 . Previously the game was played at the home stadium of the division winner with the better record entering the game . Stadium design . The stadium was designed by HNTB , an internationally renowned architectural firm , with a focus on creating a multi - purpose venue and with the fan experience and green technology as top priorities . Civil engineering work was performed by Winzler & Kelly , which was acquired by GHD Group in 2011 . Commissioning services were provided by Glumac . Basic stadium features . Levi ' s Stadium is designed as an open stadium with a natural grass field . It has a seating capacity of 68 , 500 , expandable to approximately 75 , 000 to host major events like WrestleMania , the Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup . The seating design of the stadium places approximately two ‐ thirds of the fans in the lower bowl , which is one of the largest of its kind in the entire NFL . The design features significantly improved accessibility and seating options for fans with special needs and disabilities when compared to Candlestick Park . The configuration is similar to Ford Field , home of the NFL ' s Detroit Lions , with the majority of the luxury suites on one side of the field , which puts the fans in the upper deck closer to the action . As a multi - use facility , the stadium can be configured for special touring events including concerts , motocross events , and other community events . The stadium is also designed to meet the FIFA field geometry requirements for international soccer , which will allow it to host international friendly matches and major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup . The stadium will also feature over 109 , 000 square feet ( 10 , 100 m ) of flexible premium meeting space in the club areas . Environmental sustainability . Stadium proponents and those who expect to profit from the construction of the stadium claim that the stadium is currently one of the largest buildings registered with the U . S . Green Building Council . It is also believed to be the first stadium that will have both a green roof and solar panels . The 49ers are exploring collaborative opportunities with the Environmental Protection Agency to explore environmentally friendly components including : Transportation . Public transit . Stadium patrons have the option of riding the VTA Light Rail to the stadium . The closest light rail station is the Great America station just west of the station in the median of Tasman Drive . To the east , other transit options include the Amtrak and ACE station ( near California ' s Great America and the Lick Mill station operated by VTA ) . Vehicular access . The stadium sits on Tasman Drive , a major east - west arterial road which connects to Interstate 880 several miles to the east . Both west and east of the stadium , Tasman intersects with various north - south arterial roads which connect to the region ' s most important freeways , such as U . S . Route 101 , California State Route 237 , and Interstate 280 . The closest and most important of those north - south roads is Great America Parkway to the west of the stadium , which is named after the theme park to the south . Naming rights . On May 8 , 2013 , the 49ers announced that San Francisco - based Levi Strauss & Co . purchased the naming rights to the new stadium . The deal calls for Levi ' s to pay $ 220 . 3 million to the city of Santa Clara and the 49ers over 20 years , with an option to extend the deal for another five years for around $ 75 million . Previous plans . The San Francisco 49ers played at Candlestick Park from 1971 - 2013 . The stadium was a sentimental fan favorite and housed all 5 Super Bowl Championship teams . It was , however , the oldest unrenovated stadium in the NFL and was beginning to show its age . The 49ers pursued a new stadium since 1997 , when a plan for a stadium and a mall at Candlestick Point passed a public vote . When the plans failed to move forward , the San Francisco 49ers presented an alternative plan on July 18 , 2006 , to construct a new 68 , 500 - seat , open air stadium as part of a mixed use development featuring housing , commercial and retail space . In November 2006 the team announced that plans for a new stadium at Candlestick Point was not feasible , “ citing extensive costs for infrastructure , parking accommodations and other changes that would cost more than the stadium itself ” . The 49ers turned their focus to making Santa Clara the home to their new stadium . The 1997 plan . San Francisco voters in 1997 approved $ 100 million in city spending to build a new stadium and an attached shopping mall at Candlestick Point . However , even after voter approval to grant economic help for the project , the stadium was not constructed . This was because owner Eddie DeBartolo , Jr . was facing legal troubles , which led him to surrender ownership of the team to his sister Denise DeBartolo York and brother - in - law John York . Mills Corporation , the company chosen by the 49ers , was unable to put together a plan to successfully construct a new stadium for the team . NFL owners had gone as far as awarding the new stadium the rights to host Super Bowl XXXVII . When stadium plans stalled , the game went to Qualcomm Stadium instead . For years , the city and team ownership were embattled over attempts to gain funding and a green - light for construction of a new stadium . None of these attempts proved to be successful . The 2006 plan . The city of San Francisco received a new incentive to get a new stadium built . Mayor Gavin Newsom wanted to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to the city , and a new stadium would sweeten the city ' s proposal for selection by the United States Olympic Committee as the official US submission to the IOC . The announcement came in November 2006 , with the new 49ers stadium as the centerpiece of an Olympics bid , and the construction of the Olympic village would be converted into low - income housing after the games were over . The new 68 , 500 - seat stadium was to be built at Candlestick Point on land just southeast of Candlestick Park . The cost of the stadium would be $ 916 million . Lennar Corporation would build housing , retail , and office space around the stadium area . Originally , part of the area surrounding Candlestick Park was to be zoned for retail space and housing ; the new 49ers stadium was to be combined with such elements , bringing much - needed attractions to the historically blighted neighborhood of Hunters Point . The stadium would be stocked with 150 luxury suites , 7 , 500 premium club seats , and an increased amount of seats lower and closer to the field , called " bowl seating , " potentially raising the 49ers franchise value up as much as $ 250 million and offering at least $ 300 million in advertising and concession deals , the majority of which from paid corporate naming . The architectural design would be reminiscent of San Francisco buildings . The project planning did not get off to a good start , however , with contention between the 49ers and the city of San Francisco over viable locations for the new stadium . Initially , the idea was to build a stadium in the parking lot of Candlestick Park and later demolish the aging stadium . Team ownership feared that construction of the village and the stadium would severely limit the amount of land available in Candlestick Point , creating a parking problem for fans and increasing traffic along the roads that link the stadium to the freeway . Moreover , with residents in the low - income housing by 2016 , traffic would be permanently increased , further damaging the already - limited methods of transportation to the park . With San Francisco slow to come up with better locations for the stadium or ways to circumvent the problems posed by a construction at Candlestick Point , team owners Denise DeBartolo York and John York announced on November 9 , 2006 , that the 49ers were shifting their efforts to create a new stadium to the city of Santa Clara , home to the team offices and training facility since 1987 , approximately 40 miles ( 65 km ) south of San Francisco . The sudden removal of the planned stadium forced the San Francisco Olympics bid group to cancel its proposal , which engendered great anger not only from Mayor Newsom , but also from such 49ers legends as Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott , who were part of the effort to bring the Olympics to the Bay Area . In addition , many fans were outraged at the suggestion to move the 49ers out of the city that it had shared history with for decades . The Yorks insisted that the legacy of the franchise would be respected in the sense that the 49ers would not be renamed nor moved out of the Bay Area . This was met with much opposition from Mayor Newsom and Senator Dianne Feinstein ( who was mayor of San Francisco between 1978 and 1988 ) ; the senator stated that the team should be unable to use the San Francisco name if its operations were not based in the city . On January 3 , 2007 , California State Senator Carole Migden introduced a bill , entitled SB49 , that would bar the 49ers from building a new stadium within a 100 mile ( 161 km ) radius of San Francisco , if they were to leave the city . The 49ers organization announced its strong opposition to the legislation and retorted that passing such a bill would only encourage the team to move out of the Bay Area altogether . Santa Clara city council negotiations . The Santa Clara stadium project has been in the works since 2007 , with negotiations beginning in 2008 . Two years have produced the following documents that were key to understanding the stadium deal that went before the voters of Santa Clara on June 8 , 2010 . All documents cited below are publicly available on the City of Santa Clara ’ s website . Most city council members in Santa Clara were extremely receptive to the possibility of a new stadium being constructed there for the 49ers . In 2009 , the Santa Clara City Council , led by Mayor Patricia Mahan , along with city employees began negotiating in earnest with the team , who presented the city with stadium plans . On June 2 , 2009 , by a 5 to 2 vote , the Santa Clara city council agreed to preliminary terms ( as detailed in a term sheet ) . The official term sheet states that the team ' s name will not change ; the team will continue to be called the San Francisco 49ers even when the move to Santa Clara is complete . The campaign . Santa Clara stadium campaign . The Santa Clara stadium was constructed on a city - owned parking lot on Tasman Drive , located adjacent to the north of California ' s Great America theme park and leased to Great America for overflow parking . As with Candlestick Park , there are relatively few amenities in the stadium ' s immediate vicinity for sports fans , besides the 49ers headquarters and training facility . The Santa Clara Convention Center is northwest of the stadium site and there are two hotels on Tasman Drive next to the convention center , but the closest significant concentration of hotels and restaurants is on the Mission College Boulevard corridor almost a mile to the south , on the other side of Great America . In December 2009 , the owner of the theme park filed a lawsuit to stop the project from proceeding . However , the lawsuit was dismissed in court . On December 15 , 2009 , the Santa Clara City Council voted 5 to 2 to withdraw their city - sponsored ballot measure on the stadium issue in favor of a ballot initiative , Measure J . The ballot initiative was voted on on June 8 , 2010 and passed by 58 % of Santa Clara voters . Santa Clara City Council members William Kennedy and Jamie McLeod had opposed the stadium project and worked ( unsuccessfully ) to get Measure J defeated . Measure J : June 8 , 2010 . Measure J is a binding , voter - initiated measure that was approved by voters in the City of Santa Clara . All documents cited below are publicly available on the City of Santa Clara ’ s official website . Oakland Raiders as possible co - tenants . There was a possibility that the 49ers ' Bay Area rivals , the Oakland Raiders , might share the stadium , allowing its costs to be split between the two teams . The 49ers and Raiders have publicly said it would be an option if possible , while NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is strongly in favor of the two sharing a stadium . Fans of both teams reacted negatively to the idea . Along with the New York metropolitan area ( where the New York Giants and New York Jets shared Giants Stadium from 1984 – 2009 and currently share its successor , MetLife Stadium , which both teams financed ) , the Bay Area is one of two NFL markets with two teams . The 49ers and Raiders sharing a stadium would not be unprecedented , as the two shared Kezar Stadium for part of 1960 . It would also fulfill the late Raiders owner Al Davis ' elusive goal of a new stadium , something he had strongly desired since moving the team from Los Angeles back to Oakland in 1995 . The Raiders , as it stands , play at O . co Coliseum and are the only NFL team still sharing its home field with a Major League Baseball team ; the Raiders ' lease on the Coliseum expires after the 2014 season . In the wake of Davis ' death , the possibility of the 49ers and Raiders sharing the stadium became a stronger possibility , as the Raiders would be more receptive to the idea . However , by October 2011 , the 49ers were far enough along on the stadium to have reportedly already sold over a quarter of the luxury suites , meaning the Raiders would be forced to be secondary tenants . In October 2012 , Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis told reporters he had no plans to share the Santa Clara stadium with the 49ers . According to the report , discussions have remained open , although Davis wants to keep the team in Oakland , or a nearby site in Dublin , California . When the stadium had its grand opening on July 17 , 2014 , Goodell mentioned to the live crowd that it would make a great home for the Raiders and that it is up for the team to decide whether or not it wants to play there or build a stadium on the site of the O . co Coliseum . While the 49ers remain open to sharing the stadium with the Raiders , the Raiders have said that their personal preference would be the Coliseum site . Financing and construction . In December 2011 , the Santa Clara City Council voted for an agreement that calls for the city ’ s Stadium Authority to borrow $ 850 , 000 , 000 from Goldman Sachs , Bank of America and U . S . Bank . This will cover most of the construction costs , with the remainder to be made up via funding from the NFL , a hotel tax and city redevelopment funds . Interest , fees and terms for this loan have not been disclosed . The $ 850 , 000 , 000 building loan , plus interest and fees will be assumed by the City ' s Stadium Authority , where additional interest and fees will be applied . On February 2 , 2012 , NFL owners approved a loan to the 49ers of $ 200 , 000 , 000 , for use in constructing the new stadium , and to be taken from a new G - 4 stadium loan fund . Terms of the loan were not specified , but under the previous G - 3 plan , money was repaid directly into the league ' s account from the borrowing team ' s share of gate receipts from road games . Construction . Construction began soon after funding for the stadium had been confirmed . The official groundbreaking took place on April 19 , 2012 . On July 30 , 2012 , the first steel beams for the stadium were laid down . The first seats in Levi ' s Stadium were installed on October 1 , 2013 . Construction was halted on June 11 , 2013 , after a mechanic working on an elevator was struck by a counterweight and then fell down the shaft to his death . Work resumed two days later after officials from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( Cal / OSHA ) declared the site safe , but as of October 2013 , the accident remained under investigation . Opening . The stadium opened on July 17 , 2014 . It was originally scheduled to open on July 11 , but was pushed back due to construction delays . The first game played at the new stadium was a Major League Soccer match on August 2 , 2014 , where the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Seattle Sounders FC 1 – 0 before a crowd of 48 , 765 . The inaugural goal was scored in the 42nd minute by Yannick Djalo . On August 17 , 2014 the 49ers lost their first preseason game , 34 – 0 , against the Denver Broncos at Levi ' s Stadium . Incidentally , one fan at the game collapsed due to the heat and had to be rushed to a local hospital , where he died . The first 49ers ' regular - season game at the stadium was held during Week 2 on September 14 , 2014 , when the team hosted the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football . The Bears won the game 28 – 20 in front of a 49ers home record attendance of 70 , 799 . Weekdays and parking . In November 2013 , stadium and 49ers ' officials initially requested the NFL to not schedule any Monday or Thursday night home games during Levi ' s Stadium ' s inaugural season due to parking issues in the area surrounding the stadium during weekdays . Two months later , in January 2014 , the Santa Clara city government was able to secure more than the 21 , 000 necessary parking spots by approving use of the fairways at the city - owned Santa Clara Golf and Tennis Club ( which is located to the north of the stadium across Tasman Drive ) . This arrangement is similar to and was modeled upon a longstanding arrangement between the Rose Bowl in Pasadena , California and the adjacent Brookside Golf Course , where the golf course was modified to allow for vehicular access to the fairways , they are used for parking only when dry to minimize damage , and any damage that does occur is repaired afterward . With access to the golf course fairways , Levi ' s Stadium now had 31 , 600 potential parking spaces , meaning that tailgating and weeknight games were now a possibility . However , the NFL decided not to schedule any weeknight home games at Levi ' s Stadium in 2014 until traffic flow within the area is figured out , with the exception of a Thanksgiving game between the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks on November 27 , 2014 . Parking prices , which averaged $ 30 in the 49ers ' final season at Candlestick Park , will increase to $ 40 at Levi ' s Stadium . Anticipating significant traffic from Levi ' s Stadium visitors , the nearby city of Mountain View instituted a three - hour parking limit on downtown streets during game days . While residents received exemptions via permit tags , stadium - goers must park in paid lots or far from Mountain View ' s Caltrain / VTA light rail station . This station is the closest VTA light rail station to San Francisco and receives transferring passengers heading south to San Jose via light rail ( including people using the light rail to go directly to the Levi ' s Stadium station ) . Other events . Super Bowl 50 . On October 16 , 2012 , it was announced that Levi ' s Stadium was one of two finalists to host Super Bowl 50 on February 7 , 2016 ( the other stadium finalist being Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens , Florida ) . On May 21 , 2013 , it was announced that the San Francisco Bay Area had defeated South Florida in a vote of NFL owners in its bid to host Super Bowl 50 . WrestleMania XXXI . Levi ' s Stadium will host WWE ' s WrestleMania XXXI on March 29 , 2015 . This will mark the first time WrestleMania is hosted in Northern California . The area will also host activities throughout the region for the week - long celebration leading up to WrestleMania itself . Hockey . Levi ' s Stadium will host the 2015 NHL Stadium Series ' February 21 game between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks . Soccer . On July 31 , 2014 , the San Jose Earthquakes agreed to play one match per year for five years at Levi ' s Stadium . On September 6 , 2014 , an international friendly between Mexico and Chile was held . Concerts . On October 23 , 2014 , it was announced that international pop act One Direction would bring their 2015 On The Road Again tour to Levi ' s Stadium on July 11 , 2015 . It ' s the first concert announced at the new home of the 49ers , which opened to the public in August .