Seattle expects 750K visitors for 2026 World Cup games

SEATTLE - An estimated 750,000 people are expected to visit Seattle and Western Washington during the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

That is more than the entire population of the City of Seattle, as measured during the 2020 U.S. Census — 737,018.

The Seattle Sports Commission, which submitted the city’s bid for the 2026 World Cup, discussed plans during its "Region Ready" summit on April 22. The commission also estimates that two years from now, two billion television viewers worldwide will be watching soccer matches played at Lumen Field in Seattle. In the United States, FOX and Telemundo are the official broadcasters, which means many matches are expected to air on FOX 13.

Lumen Field was selected to host six World Cup matches, which will include at least one match played by Team USA.

Here is the full schedule for Lumen Field:

Monday, June 15, 2026: Group stage
Friday, June 19, 2026: Group stage (with Team USA)
Wednesday, June 24, 2026: Group stage
Friday, June 26, 2026: Group stage
Wednesday, July 1, 2026: Round of 32
Monday, July 6, 2026: Round of 16

A total of 104 matches are being played across North America in June and July 2026. Seattle, Vancouver B.C., the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles are all part of the Western region of sites. The Central Region includes Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas and Kansas City. The Eastern Region comprises Atlanta, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey.

The final will be played on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.