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FIFA World Cup 2026 Travel Guide

Seattle is the only city in the Pacific Northwest chosen to host 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, and it’s not surprising. The city’s soccer roots run deep, from the long history of the Sounders (founded in 1974) to a vibrant community culture that regularly fills the stadium with some of the most energetic fans in North America. Seattle has one of the highest rates of soccer participation in the country, and its fan culture, with colorful marches, green scarves, and coordinated chants, has become legendary as one of the best fan experiences in the US.

Visitors in town for the matches who want to see more of the city should download the SEA&WIN App, a free mobile app launched by the Seattle World Cup Host Committee in March 2026. Users can check-in at various local businesses, cultural landmarks, art exhibits, and public spaces throughout the Seattle Area, plus play trivia and mini-games while in the city. You’ll score points for check-ins and activities, and the prizes are no joke: 12 winners will get a pair of tickets to one of the city’s matches, among other rewards.

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• About Lumen Field
• Tickets and matches
• Getting to Seattle
• Getting around during the World Cup
• Details on the FIFA Fan Zone
• Hotels, soccer bars, and what else to do
• More about Seattle

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Venue: Lumen Field

Lumen Field, which will be called “Seattle Stadium” for the duration of the World Cup, is in the city’s SoDo neighborhood, with a fairly distinctive design. It opened in 2002, cost $430 million to build, and is the home for three professional sports teams: the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL, Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC, and Seattle Reign FC, the women’s professional soccer team. It seats just under 69,000 for NFL games but can expand to around 72,000 for major events like the World Cup. About 70 percent of the seats are partially covered — ideal for Seattle’s rainy weather.

In advance of the World Cup, the city is getting about $19 million for upgrades to make it FIFA-compliant, including a natural grass surface and upgrading some bleacher seating to have backs. The stadium already hosted Copa América Centenario matches in 2016, MLS Cup finals in 2009 and 2019, and the second leg of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final (which the Sounders won).

Interestingly, the stadium was built on the former site of the Kingdome, the city’s old domed stadium. It was destroyed in 2000 in what was the world’s largest concrete structure implosion, and more than half of the salvaged materials were recycled into Lumen Field itself. Lumen Field also holds the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium, when Seahawks fans hit 137.6 decibels during a 2013 game against the New Orleans Saints. It should make for some memorable (and high-energy) World Cup matches.

The Seattle World Cup Schedule

Seattle will host six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches.

• Monday, June 15, 2026: Group G — Belgium vs. Egypt, Noon PT
• Friday, June 19, 2026: Group D — USA vs. Australia, Noon PT
• Wednesday, June 24, 2026: Group B — Qatar vs. UEFA Playoff A winner, Noon PT
• Friday, June 26, 2026: Group G — Egypt vs. Iran, 8 PM PT
• Wednesday, July 1, 2026: Round of 32 — TBD, 1 PM PT
• Monday, July 6, 2026: Round of 16 — TBD, 5 PM PT

As of mid-March 2026, the only people who can buy World Cup tickets are those who have won various FIFA ticket lotteries. It’s expected that there will be a general purchase window in April in which anyone can buy the tickets that remain, but no details have been announced. In spring 2026, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said tickets for all matches are effectively sold out, save for a small number “on reserve” that will be part of the April ticket buying window. On ticket resale sites like StubHub, the least-expensive World Cup tickets for Seattle start around $300 per seat, making it actually one of the more affordable host cities for anyone buying after market tickets.

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How to get to Seattle

Seattle is one of the more straightforward World Cup cities to reach. There’s really one airport to know: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (called Sea-Tac), a major West Coast hub for Alaska Airlines with plenty of international connections to cities in Asia, Europe, and beyond. It’s about 14 miles from downtown and is easy to reach on Sound Transit’s Link light rail. The ride costs $3 per person, and the city just rolled out tap-to-pay capabilities. However, you’ll also find ticket machines at the station.

For fans hoping to catch multiple matches, Seattle is fairly close to Vancouver, British Columbia. The drive between them usually takes around three hours, or you can leave the driving to someone else by catching a ride on the Amtrak Cascades line. It’s one of the most logistically simple multi-city combinations of the entire tournament. the Seattle-Vancouver pairing is among the most logistically manageable in the entire tournament.

Getting around town during the World Cup

Lumen Field is located just south of downtown Seattle in the Pioneer Square neighborhood and is easily accessible by public transportation, car, or on foot. If you’re staying downtown, the stadium is a 15–20 minute walk from most central hotels.

If you prefer to take public transit, the Sound Transit Link Light Rail 1 Line stops at Stadium Station. Several King County Metro Rapid Ride bus lines also serve the stadium, dropping you within a short walk. You can use tap-to-pay or pick up an ORCA card *Seattle’s reusable transit card) at any station. Alternatively, the Transit GO Ticket app lets you buy digital passes in advance. King Street Station serves both Amtrak and Sounder commuter rail and is a five-minute walk from the stadium. It’s usually the most convenient stop for visitors coming from Tacoma or further afield.

If you’re considering driving, parking is available at several lots around the stadium, but they tend to fill quickly on match days. You’ll want to reserve a spot in advance online — or better yet, skip the car entirely. However, given how convenient the stadium is, and the fact that Seattle already has a fairly well-connected public transportation system, it’s definitely one of the host cities where having a car is likely to be more of an annoyance than a real time saver.

The Official Seattle World Cup Fan Zones

Seattle’s organizing committee has built out one of the more ambitious plans for fan zones of any host city, planning to have events in four locations around the city’s “Unity Loop.” It’s a four-mile walking trail that connects between Seattle Center, the downtown area, the waterfront, and the SoDo neighborhood, where the stadium is. It’s also accessible via public transit.

Seattle Center is the flagship FIFA Fan Zone, site of the “Let’s Play SEA ’26 World Soccer Fan Celebration.” The Armory will be the main indoor area with a jumbo screen for watching matches, while the surrounding Mural Amphitheater, International Fountain, and plazas will host DJs, cultural programming, food vendors, and family activities throughout the tournament.

Pacific Place, a shopping mall downtown, will also host the “Seattle Soccer House,” with a four-story LED screen. Waterfront Park, Seattle’s 20-acre park near the shoreline, will also have events, including streaming the matches on Pier 62. Finally, Victory Hall next to Lumen Field will be the home of “Seattle Matchday Live,” where you’ll be able to watch the matches on a giant screen but hear the actual roar of the crowds next door in real time. According to the host committee, the combined capacity across the four venues is around 15,000 people, and most locations plan to stay open for the full tournament, not just the six Seattle games.

Beyond city limits, nine official fan zones have been announced across Washington State. They’re in Bellingham, Bremerton, Everett, Olympia-Lacey, Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Tacoma at the Puyallup Tribal Headquarters, Yakima, and Vancouver (Vancouver Washington, not Vancouver, Canada).

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