Airbnb Pledges $1.2M for School Soccer Fields Ahead of World Cup

Mayor Lurie, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, and soccer star Megan Rapinoe gathered at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy on Tuesday to cut the ribbon on a new synthetic turf soccer field — the first of three headed for San Francisco public schools. The investment, tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, converts asphalt schoolyards into permanent playing surfaces in a city preparing to host six tournament matches this summer.

• Airbnb commits more than $1.2 million for community projects across California, starting with three new soccer fields at San Francisco schools

• Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy opens new turf field, with Bret Hart Elementary and Willie L. Brown Jr. Middle School next in line

• Megan Rapinoe delivers keynote on youth sports as community infrastructure, calling soccer "the people's game"

• America Scores Bay Area hits 30 fields installed across San Francisco schools over 15 years

• Principal reassures families that Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy is not closing

Why it matters: With the 2026 FIFA World Cup bringing six matches to the Bay Area, Airbnb is channeling more than $1.2 million into permanent recreational infrastructure at public schools in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles — a bet that the tournament's biggest payoff should outlast the final whistle.