OK, part of the World Cup is coming to Seattle, but we'll get into that in a minute. The FIFA World Cup is arguably the biggest sporting event in the world. The event is so big that when it comes to the United States in 2026, it will be staged in 16 U.S. cities and one of those U.S. cities is Seattle.
According to axios.com,
‘Seattle is among 16 cities across three countries that have been selected to host matches during the massive 2026 FIFA World Cup that's expected to draw 4 billion viewers overall. Seattle will host four to six matches at Lumen Field, per the local organizing committee’
I was just talking with my buddy John who works down the hallway, he is a rabid Soccer fan. John will regularly go to Seattle to see Seattle Sounders soccer and when I mentioned the FIFA World Cup to him, he got all excited and mentioned that he was already in the lottery to buy tickets. Keep in mind, we don't even know who's playing in Seattle yet, but he is ready to go, and he is not alone.
FIFA World Cup soccer in Seattle is probably going to be a great financial windfall for the city. Projections are that visitors are going to spend somewhere near $650 million in June and July. The total windfall will come out to something like $929 million spent in the local economy and will probably add about $100 million in state and local tax revenue. Something over 750,000 visitors will be coming to Seattle to see up to six games at Lumen Field and right now, less than half of those visitors actually have tickets to the games. Everyone else, like my buddy John, is sitting in the lottery hoping they get a chance to buy tickets.
So, what are we missing? Well, for one thing, we're probably lacking adequate parking for all these people, and oddly, one of the other things we're missing, according to the impact statement, is restroom facilities. According to the information I've read, we're actually working on that and when I say we are, I mean they are.
So, here's hoping that my buddy John wins the ticket lottery and gets to buy tickets and spend at least one great weekend in Seattle watching his favorite sport.
Good luck buddy.
How the World Cup could bring $929 million to Seattle – Axios Seattle
Seattle's plan to host part of the FIFA World Cup – Axios Seattle
Visit Seattle Announces Preliminary $929 Million Economic Impact Projection for FIFA World Cup 26 SeattleTM – Visit Seattle
