How to experience Seattle during the 2026 World Cup

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest! If you’re reading this, then chances are you have, in your hot little hand, a ticket to a 2026 World Cup game taking place here in beautiful Seattle. Let me tell you something, you are coming at the best time of the year to be here.

The sun is out, the weather is cool, people are throwing fish in the market, it’s wonderful! And I’m not just saying that because I’ve lived here for half my life. I love living in Seattle and I hope you’ll get to enjoy it as much as I do. 

Getting around Seattle is a lot easier than a lot of other cities thanks to their mass transit system. Sound Transit and King County Metro have invested billions of dollars to create a bus and train system that can take you pretty much anywhere in the greater Seattle area. In fact, I would strongly recommend using public transit to get to Seattle Stadium. Because Seattle is also a very compact city, it makes driving around difficult, especially during peak traffic times.

Do yourself a favor, take the trains, the buses, the water taxis, the ferries, the dedicated shuttles that will be run on match day. There’s a reason FIFA calls it “the most accessible World Cup venue in North America.” 

Match schedule

Seattle has been chosen by FIFA to host six matches through the 2026 World Cup, and four of those are group-stage games.

Group G 

• Belgium vs. Egypt – June 15, 2026 – Noon PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)

Group D 

• United States vs. Australia – June 19, 2026 – Noon PDT

Group B 

• Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar – June 24, 2026 – Noon PDT

Group G 

• Egypt vs. Iran – June 26, 2026 – 8 p.m. PDT

The stadium itself, Seattle Stadium, otherwise known as Lumen Field, holds 69,000 fans, not including standing room. It is also, unless you listen to some naysayers in Kansas City, the loudest stadium in the world. It has set decibel level records and caused seismic activity (see: “Beastquake, The”); so imagine for a moment 69,000 screaming fans, all making noise louder than a jet engine at full throttle, as one of the teams playing here scores a goal. It is a truly mind-blowing experience. 

Tickets are still available if you still want to try going to a game; that said, I hope you have deep pockets. 

A cursory scan of Ticketmaster (as of 5/26 at 2:30 pm PDT) shows these are the cheapest prices for tickets to the group stage games: 

• Belgium/Egypt: $601.37
• USA/Australia: $1,273.05
• Bosnia-Herzegovina/Qatar: $300.08
• Egypt/Iran: $289.17

Food and attractions

Now let’s say you find yourself in Seattle but can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars to sit in the nosebleed section? Well, you’re in luck! There are four separate fan celebration zones throughout Seattle, one of which is across the street from Seattle Stadium. 

• Victory Hall (across from Seattle Stadium) 
• Waterfront Park (on the waterfront) 
• Pacific Place (downtown) 
• Seattle Center (by the Space Needle) 

If you can’t make it to one of those, there are numerous bars around the city where you can watch the game. The George and Dragon is in the Fremont neighborhood and has been “Seattle’s original English soccer pub” since 1995. 

I also strongly recommend Buckley’s in Belltown, especially their salmon sandwich.

If you find yourself at loose ends while either awaiting your match or your return flight home, I feel morally obligated to recommend checking out the Space Needle. It’s the most touristy thing our city has, but they also finished renovations on it a few years ago, so it’s still pretty much new.

If you like spooky stories and tales of the Seattle of old, you can take the underground tour. This tour takes you underneath the city you’re walking in to the original version of old Seattle’s architecture from a city that burned down in an 1889 fire. 

My favorite attraction though is Pike Place Market (not Pike’s Place). You can stroll along the market seeing all the beautiful produce and seafood and dried pasta of all different varieties being sold, feel the energy of people buying and selling things you would never see at your grocery store, the smell of food in tiny stalls beckons you like a pie beckons a cartoon cat. You can walk into one end of Pike Place Market (or The Market as we locals call it, trust me, we know) starving and come out the other end filled to bursting. 

If you do go to the market, I cannot more strongly recommend Piroshky Piroshky; it’s a tiny Russian restaurant that makes sweet and savory piroshkies fresh every day. My favorite is their chocolate cream hazelnut roll. There is a line. It is usually long. It is always worth it. 

Whatever you decide to do with your time in Seattle, I hope you have a great time, that your team does well, and that you discover something new you liked!

Verizon fuels soccer culture and community impact year-round – uniting fans, supporting local businesses and creating unforgettable moments that celebrate the global game.