When it comes to soccer, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie says he is not just jumping on the World Cup bandwagon — he has been a true believer his entire life.
Lurie wakes up early on weekends to catch live English Premier League matches and has now attended five World Cups throughout his life. Earlier this year, he even got to lift the iconic trophy alongside former Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva during a promotional event.
Since the tournament kicked off, the 49-year-old mayor has been making the rounds at packed fan zones and bars across San Francisco, rolling up his sleeves and mixing with enthusiastic crowds in pubs draped in flags from around the world.
“I’ve been a huge soccer fan my whole life,” Lurie told Reuters during an interview at a San Francisco park, with the city’s famous Golden Gate Bridge visible in the background.
“A lot of people are excited about the World Cup. I kind of live and die soccer,” he said, pausing briefly to get an update on the Brazil versus Japan match. “So, for me, this isn’t just for this month. I get into soccer all year round.”
A devoted supporter of Premier League club Leeds United, Lurie was present at the World Cups held in 1994, 2010, 2014, and 2022 — attending five matches over just three days at the most recent tournament.
Now the world’s biggest soccer event has come to his home turf, with six games scheduled in the San Francisco Bay Area. The marquee moment arrives Wednesday when the United States face Bosnia in a last-32 showdown.
Lurie’s connection to soccer runs deeper than simply being a fan. He is also an investor in 49ers Enterprises, the business arm of the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise, which became majority owners of Scottish club Rangers last year after acquiring Leeds United back in 2023.
“We are now staying up again,” Lurie said of Leeds United’s league standing. “We’ve got a long way to go to get to that top six, to get into European competition, but I believe we can.”
Lurie, a Democratic moderate, was elected San Francisco’s mayor in 2024 after running on a platform of revitalizing the city’s struggling downtown area while tackling its fentanyl crisis and widespread homelessness. A philanthropist and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, Lurie spent $10.5 million of his own money on his campaign, according to public disclosures. His mother, Mimi Haas — a major Levi shareholder who had a reported net worth of $1.4 billion in 2021 according to Forbes — was the next largest contributor.
Beyond the soccer stadiums, Lurie has cultivated a relatable, everyman image on social media, sharing videos of himself at farmers markets, officiating same-sex weddings, eating Mexican chilaquiles, and handing out ice cream from a van.
During the World Cup, his Instagram account has gone into high gear, featuring posts of him sitting on the floor at watch parties and bar-hopping to catch Lionel Messi’s double for Argentina against Austria, the U.S. victory over Australia, France versus Senegal, and Ghana taking on Panama.
“We’re hitting every spot around the city,” he said. “It’s been electric. Our neighbourhoods have been teeming with fans from around the world.”
Lurie also made national news last year when, with backing from Silicon Valley, he persuaded U.S. President Donald Trump to cancel a planned federal deployment of National Guard troops and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to San Francisco. Lurie argued the city was “on the rise” and that such a surge would derail its recovery efforts.
“We’re really proud of where we’ve come,” Lurie said, pointing to a 30% drop in crime last year and the city’s lowest homicide rate since 1954. “We still have work to do. And that’s where events like the World Cup help us continue that momentum.”
Once the tournament wraps up, the stadium will revert to its regular use by the 49ers, and a large tarpaulin covering the venue’s commercial name — Levi’s Stadium — will be removed.
Lurie says he hopes the World Cup leaves behind something lasting for the region and the country.
“We need things to unify us,” he said. “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.”
