Torch passed to Levi's Stadium for Super Bowl LX

Torch passed to Levi's Stadium for Super Bowl 60

The city of New Orleans handed over Super Bowl duties to the Bay Area on Monday as Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara will host the next big event next year.

NEW ORLEANS - The city of New Orleans officially handed over Super Bowl duties to the Bay Area on Monday as Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara will host the big event next year.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, on behalf of all the elected leaders in the Bay Area, was there to accept the torch.

"Really, we are a region. It's time we speak as a region, act as a region, and show off everything that's special about the Bay Area as we have hundreds of thousands of people coming to visit," Mahan said.

Of course, fingers are crossed in the Bay Area to see if the 49ers can make it to Super Bowl LX in February 2026.

"Hopefully what happens [is] we don't just have the game in Santa Clara where only 70,000 people are watching, the sport of football and the game itself spreads out throughout the entire region," said Zaileen Janmohamed, of the Bay Area Host Committee.

It's been a while – 2015 – since Levi's Stadium hosted a Super Bowl.

That's when Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos took down Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Coldplay all performed at halftime.

"The Bay Area has had some not great press in the past. We're going to show you what the future is and why the Bay Area is the greatest region in the world," 49ers owner Ged York said Monday.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that everyone is excited about the Super Bowl being played in the Bay.

"There's such a great history in San Francisco," he said. "We're thrilled to be part of that next year. They had Super Bowl 50. There's something about the decades. They're back at Super Bowl 60. I can't think of a better place to do that, and we're grateful for the support they've given us, and we know they'll do a terrific job."

Levi's Stadium officials say preparations are already underway with $200-million dollars in planned renovations.

"Some of that includes building the largest 4k video boards in the league. It includes refreshing our team store, our concessions area, our suites and club spaces, so that fans coming for any event next season, but including the Super Bowl have a really exciting time," says Ellie Caple of 49ers Communications.

Over the last week, local officials and law enforcement traveled to New Orleans to observe and ask questions. They say a lot has changed since they last hosted a Super Bowl.

"We kinda know what to expect but over the course of ten years some things change, technologies change. Social media has changed, so the information is available quickly and that's not just to the people watching but also to us," says Captain Mike Crescini of the Santa Clara Police Department.

And so the clock starts now on implementing new technologies and making sure the stadium and the region will shine. They also want to make sure restaurants, hotels and businesses are ready too.

"We've also hosted hundreds of major events at the stadium so we have that experience. We've been preparing and we will be ready," says Janine De la Vega, with the City of Santa Clara.

Officials say all that experience will help, but they are about to do something unprecedented. This will be the first time any stadium has hosted a Super Bowl and the World Cup in the same year.