The Most Interesting Base for Seattle’s World Cup Games Is Across the Lake in Bellevue

The train connection

Photo: Sound Transit

The 2 Line, also called the Crosslake Connection, runs the full route from Bellevue to downtown Seattle. It’s the world’s first light rail service over a floating bridge. It takes just under 20 minutes to get from Bellevue Downtown Station to International District/Chinatown (the Seattle stop closest to Lumen Field), and trains come every eight to 10 minutes during peak hours.

For fans coming from out of town, the rail goes all the way to Sea-Tac with one transfer at ID/Chinatown. End-to-end travel is about an hour and 15 minutes. There’s also a direct Bellevue Airport Shuttle from the airport. For late matches, the 2 Line runs until about 1 AM Monday through Saturday. Something to note for anyone interested in the June 26 Egypt vs. Iran group stage match that kicks off at 8 PM.

What to do before and after kickoff

“Start your morning with Bellevue’s café culture — this region is known for its coffee, and downtown offers everything from craft roasters to relaxed neighborhood cafés,” says Brad Jones, executive director of Visit Bellevue. “From there, walk to Bellevue Downtown Park and Meydenbauer Bay Park where you’ll find wide open green space framed by skyline views, a perfect place to ease into the day alongside fellow fans or a mid-morning kayak with views back toward Seattle.”

The rest of his list depends on what you’re interested in, but there’s no shortage of things to choose from: Old Bellevue’s Main Street for the independent shops, restaurants, and bars; the Bellevue Botanical Garden for some fresh air; or the Bellevue zip tour, the East Trail, or Snoqualmie Falls if you want to stay active.

Bellevue Botanical Garden. Photo: Visit Bellevue

The Bellevue Collection — 200-plus stores, more than 50 restaurants — is the main draw to keep the theme on soccer, though, with World Cup activations and a Bellevue Baller beer at Bellevue Brewing’s Spring District taproom.

It’s the food, however, that can really be the decision maker between spending more time in Bellevue or managing the crowds in Seattle.

“Don’t get me wrong, Bellevue has a fantastic selection of hotels and shopping, but it takes more than those two aspects to create an all-encompassing city,” says Sandy Vo, executive director of the BelRed Arts District Community Alliance. “Whether you’re here for a day or for a week, don’t miss out on the diverse selection of eateries Bellevue has. Grab some fire-oven wings at Cascadia Pizza Co., eat delicious Peruvian food at La Mar, or try Taiwanese classics like Facing East‘s famous pork burger.”

Bellevue is a soccer city

Anastacio Rivera co-founded Bellevue Athletic FC, the city’s UPSL semi-professional club, in 2022 with his family. “We’ve done well to become one of the top semi professional clubs on the West Coast in that time, but we want to take it even further with the wave coming,” Rivera says.

What separates Bellevue’s soccer community from Seattle, Rivera says, is the fan base. “You get a highly educated fan base that makes soccer a lifestyle rather than just something to be a fan of.”

For visiting fans, that lifestyle shows up in places you can drop into without a plan. “You can go to Robinswood Park in your free time and see pickup soccer happening at any time of the day,” Rivera says. “There is always some kind of exciting match or kick around happening in Bellevue.”

Or just take from Rivera’s own pre-match routine suggestion: “I would show them around local pitches and see what’s going on at those fields, and then drop by Fogo de Chao for a nice protein-filled late lunch. After that, we would walk through Bellevue Square Mall to digest the amazing meal and head out for the match.”

Beyond hotels and shopping

The most interesting tournament programming in Bellevue is happening in the BelRed Arts District, a creative neighborhood a few light rail stops north of downtown that’s been quietly building its identity for years.

“Public artworks like murals and sculptures act as identifiable meeting spots and points of interest in outdoor spaces,” Vo says about the BelRed Arts District. “Art classes at the BelRed Arts Studio, drum clinics at West Coast Drum Shop, and pottery workshops at Kokanee Clay Studio give people a reason to come into our neighborhood.”

Photo: Bellevue Brewing Company

The BelRed Arts District is also where Bellevue’s tournament programming gets weirder and more interesting. Visit Bellevue is staging an interactive inflatable installation that crosses art and sport in BelRed, an art walk through the district, a soccer-themed fashion show in the neighboring Spring District, and pop-up activations at downtown light rail stations on match days.

Make it a point to go to Bellevue Brewing’s Spring District taproom. The brewery made a tournament beer with a World Cup host country twist: grain from Canada, corn from Mexico, and hops from the United States. A portion of the proceeds goes to Mid Lakes United, a local youth soccer program.

Watch parties worth crossing the bridge for

If you don’t have match tickets, Bellevue is positioning itself as a place to feel the World Cup energy without the stadium. The Bellevue Collection will be the center of a lot of the action with an interactive large screen, photo booths, and augmented reality, says Jennifer Leavitt, SVP of marketing The Bellevue Collection.

The most ambitious watch-party setup in The Bellevue Collection is at Mirra, a virtual reality gameplay arena on the third floor of Lincoln Square South. Mirra normally runs as a 10,700-square-foot social entertainment venue with floor-to-ceiling 8K LED screens, in-house-developed VR party games, a full bar, and a globally inspired menu of bao buns, birria quesadillas, and corn ribs. For the World Cup, the staff are converting the panoramic screens into wraparound match broadcasts.

Seattle may be the focus for seeing the game in person, but Bellevue gets the rest of the day — the lake, the food, the walk back to a hotel that isn’t surrounded by 65,000 people trying to get into the same Uber.

If you go

Photo: Visit Bellevue

• Lumen Field matches: Six between June 15 and July 6 — four group stage, one Round of 32 (July 1), one Round of 16 (July 6).
• The train: 2 Line, Bellevue Downtown Station to International District/Chinatown Station, less than 20 minutes. Walk south to Lumen Field. Service runs until about 1 AM.
• From Sea-Tac: Either 1 Line to 2 Line via ID/Chinatown or the Bellevue Airport Shuttle.
• Where to stay: Bellevue’s downtown hotel inventory clusters around the 2 Line. The Westin Bellevue, Hyatt Regency Bellevue, and W Bellevue all sit within walking distance of Bellevue Downtown Station — walk to train, train to walk, walk to stadium.
• Book early: Hotel occupancy in Bellevue for June and July is currently projected at 83 to 88 percent, per Visit Bellevue communications manager Anna Yan.
• Worth tracking: Visit Bellevue’s “stay and play” fan package — which bundles shopping credits, transportation perks, and other incentives at participating hotels — plus the Bellevue Baller beer at Bellevue Brewing’s Spring District taproom and match-day station activations.

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