San Diego FC played its inaugural Major League Soccer season in 2025, finishing first in the Western Conference in the regular season and reaching the Conference Final in their first year. Snapdragon Stadium is hosting 11 Olympic soccer matches in 2028. And Mission Valley, right next door, is in the middle of one of the largest residential redevelopment projects the city has seen in years.

Soccer here isn't new. The region's ties to Tijuana and a year-round playing culture go back decades. What's different now is the scale and the investment that's following it.

What's happening

San Diego FC set expansion-club records for points and wins in their 2025 debut and are now in year two. San Diego Wave FC has been part of the scene for years, and the fanbase across both clubs has grown quickly.

On the international stage, Snapdragon Stadium will host 11 Olympic soccer matches in 2028, running July 11 through July 28. That covers group stage, quarterfinal, semifinal, and bronze medal games for both the men's and women's tournaments. The 2026 World Cup is at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and while San Diego isn't a host city, that kind of attention in the region tends to pull interest and visitors further south, which keeps the city on the radar of people who might not have considered it otherwise.

How this connects to real estate

Mission Valley is where the soccer investment and the housing story meet, with two major development projects underway right now.

The SDSU Mission Valley project, built around Snapdragon Stadium, plans up to 4,600 housing units along with an innovation district, hotel, retail, and more than 80 acres of parks and open space. Construction on the first residential phase is already underway.

About a mile away along Friars Road, the Riverwalk project covers 200 acres on the former Riverwalk Golf Club. Developed by Hines, it plans approximately 4,300 homes, 152,000 square feet of retail, one million square feet of office space, and 110 acres of parks including restoration of the San Diego River. Hines has completed road and infrastructure improvements along Friars Road, with building construction set to begin once permits are approved and financing is finalized.

Together that's roughly 9,000 homes planned in one neighborhood, on top of the City of San Diego's identified need for over 100,000 additional homes countywide by 2029.

What I'm seeing in the market

Buyers are active, especially in areas with new construction nearby. Homeowners are sitting on equity and figuring out their next move. Long-term investment interest is steady.

The SDSU and Riverwalk projects will take years to fully build out. Until then, San Diego's challenge stays the same: a city that keeps adding people faster than it adds homes.

A personal note

My wife Amy organized TEDxTorreyPines, where Brandi Mitchell spoke about how women can keep playing soccer into their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. It's a good reminder that soccer here isn't just a professional or development story. It runs through communities and families in a way that's been true long before the MLS arrived. If you have a few minutes, it's worth watching.

What this means for you

If you're thinking about buying or selling, I can help you figure out what's realistic right now: what your home could sell for, whether the timing makes sense, what current rates mean for your monthly payment, and which areas are worth paying attention to.

Call or text Alexander Pfleger: 619-339-7334

FAQs

Does soccer impact housing prices in San Diego? Not directly. Home prices here are driven by jobs, population growth, and how much housing gets built. What soccer-related development does is bring real construction to specific areas, which can affect value in those spots over the long run.

Is Mission Valley worth watching for real estate? Yes. Two large-scale projects are actively under construction there right now. It will take years to play out, but the level of investment is significant and 9,000 planned homes in one neighborhood is not a small number.

Will the 2028 Olympics affect the housing market? Not dramatically in the short term. Hosting brings global visibility to the city, and 11 matches at Snapdragon means San Diego will be on screens worldwide across several weeks in July 2028.

Is now a good time to buy or sell in San Diego? Depends on your situation. Call or text 619-339-7334 and we'll figure it out.

Sources

City of San Diego Housing Element 2021 to 2029

SDSU Mission Valley redevelopment plan (missionvalley.sdsu.edu)

Riverwalk San Diego project, Hines (riverwalksd.com)

LA28 Olympic Football Tournament official announcement, March 2026 (la28.org)

KPBS: Snapdragon Stadium Olympic soccer coverage

NBC San Diego: Olympic soccer host city announcement

MLS Soccer: San Diego FC 2025 inaugural season records

San Diego FC official site (sandiegofc.com)

San Diego Business Journal: Riverwalk $4 billion project resumes, October 2025