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After millions spent, what legacy will the World Cup leave?
By Venice Buhain
There are different ways to view legacy, when it comes to the FIFA Men’s World Cup Games in Seattle. Making core memories is one.
“We set out with this idea that if every eight-year-old in the state of Washington formed a core memory through this event, an event that is about community connection, it's about connectivity to a global sport that really is its own language,” said Maya Mendoza-Exstrom, who is the chief business officer of the Seattle Reign and on the local organizing committee board for the FIFA Men’s World Cup games. “I think you can't put a price tag on that.”
Mendoza-Exstrom says while Seattle was officially named a World Cup city in 2022, the region has been gearing up for these games for decades – all the way back to asking the voters to support building what is now Lumen Field in 1997.
“If you go look at it, it has a clause that says this stadium is purpose built for Olympic and World Cup soccer,” Mendoza-Exstrom said.
Seattle is just one of 16 FIFA host cities across three countries. The spending to prepare the Seattle area and Washington state has been massive. The city of Seattle alone will spend nearly $32 million to host six matches of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. About $18 million came from public and private grants.
While most of Seattle’s public money will be spent on police and emergency management, other World Cup spending – from public and private organizations -- has resulted in water bottle filling stations, art on the Monorail columns and 52 new small soccer fields and mini pitches throughout the region.
Mendoza-Exstrom said the local organizing committee is working to make sure that international visitors get to know Seattle’s values. Games held in Seattle will occur during Pride and Juneteenth, and those events will be celebrated outside the stadium.
“Seattle will show up in alignment with our values, and if you're a fan coming here, you will get to see what Seattle is all about,” she said.
FIFA has estimated about 750,000 fans will attend games. State officials have said that could bring $846 million to the region, including nearly $600 million spent at local business.
Impacts – both near and far
Journalist Clemente Lisi is the author of “The World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event.” He has written books and articles about the history of the World Cup, and the impacts on the games on their host cities.
“This is really the relationship soccer fans have with FIFA: They hate FIFA, but they love soccer, and this is the love-hate thing that has to happen in order to enjoy the event,” Lisi said.
Lisi pointed out that FIFA doesn’t share the ticket revenue with the host cities, and there’s no independent public audit of FIFA’s own finances. The organization has also been plagued in the past with corruption scandals.
“FIFA basically says, ‘You're going to host. We're going to host games in your city, maybe we'll have six games at your stadium, but we're not going to pay for fans to travel, they have to pay for that. We don't pay for security or police, you pay for that. Any infrastructure upgrades, you pay for that.’ So, basically, the cities are on the hook for a lot of expense with the promise that then they will make that money, and then more. It doesn't always work out that way,” Lisi said.
Several factors have also called into question whether the games have had good press. Hotels in Seattle and across the country are seeing lower than expected reservations and international tourists have expressed worries about immigration enforcement.
“People are scared, they don't want to go, they don't want to cross into the United States, that kind of thing…. these factors all together are contributing to a strange climate in terms of the organization and what's happening around it,” he said.
But despite those concerns, the games could still be a success. Lisi said that the teams and countries involved in the tournament has have many fans within U.S. borders and that Americans make up a large percentage of attendees during previous FIFA World Cup events.
Some local groups have expressed concern about the games and the impacts they might have on certain neighborhoods. The International Examiner has covered some of those concerns in the Chinatown-International District, which has had a long history of weathering impacts from sports events in the Stadium District dating back to the Kingdome.
“Chinatowns in North America are often located near stadiums and even outside of major events like FIFA. On a regular basis they're often impacted negatively by being near stadiums with people coming in to park their cars but not really spend time in the neighborhood or benefit it,” said Chetanya Robinson, managing editor of the International Examiner.
But Robinson also said that some groups have been working for well over a year with the local organizing committee and the city to bring benefits to the CID.
“There's a coalition of organizations -- Friends of Little Saigon, Chinatown-ID Preservation Development Authority, Chinatown-ID Business Improvement Area -- who have been with small businesses to make sure their needs are met and their voices are heard,” Robinson said.
Lisi said that the previous World Cup held in the U.S. set the stage for soccer’s success in the country today.
“We wouldn't have women's soccer be what it is today, and you wouldn't have major league soccer, which is America's professional soccer league, which didn't even exist in ‘94. It was created as a result, and Seattle is a big soccer city, and you know they have the Sounders... They, they get 30, 40, 50,000 people to go to games,” he said.
Mendoza-Exstrom says a major benefit of hosting the games this year is putting Seattle on a global map as a destination not only for tourists but for major events. She’s hoping that Seattle is one of the host cities for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
"Seattle becomes a place that can do this. Now, we don't have to do it every summer and all the time, but we become a sought-after place that can do this,” she said. “Because of the community flavor. Because people have such an incredible experience here. Because it's not cookie cutter, because we are Seattle and we are Washington State, that we're able to attract major events, sort of now in perpetuity.”
Lisi said that once the games start, he expects many soccer fans and those who want to experience an international event to put their concerns aside.
“You know, the World Cup is a big party, I always say, and people travel around the world to go to that party, and then, you know, maybe once in your lifetime, maybe twice in your lifetime, the party comes to you. In this case, we might not see another World Cup in America for another 30 or 40 years, and so this is really a unique opportunity for many people,” he said.
Seattle scores new outdoor art for the World Cup tournament
By Brangien Davis, story published 05/28/2026
The FIFA World Cup promises to bring thousands of soccer fans to Seattle streets, and it has already inspired a wave of new outdoor artworks across the city.
For the past two years, local organizing committee SeattleFWC26 — a nonprofit separate from FIFA — has been devising ways the tournament can benefit the city beyond the span of the games. One of those ways is by showcasing local artistic talent with the installation of new murals, paintings and sculptures in outdoor spaces.
“From the very beginning, the board and my boss were super clear that we had to find ways to show people what's special about Seattle and figure out ways to make that last,” says Leo Flor, SeattleFWC26’s Chief Legacy Officer. “And one of the most powerful ways that you can communicate across languages is art.”
The result is more than 25 public art installations stretching from the Monorail to Pioneer Square. Most are along a walkable 4-mile route dubbed the Unity Loop. Downtown, look for large murals from local painters Stevie Shao and Leo Shallat, and at the entrance to Lumen Field, a new 9-foot-tall bronze sculpture by revered Seattle artist Gerard Tsutakawa.
Working with local art collective Forest for the Trees, SeattleFWC26 has also installed 15 new outdoor paintings in Pioneer Square’s RailSpur Alley. What connects all these artworks is a symbol with local significance: a cedar branch.
“[In] every piece of art that we've commissioned... if you look hard enough, you’ll find a cedar branch detail,” Flor says. “The cedar branch detail, on advice from some of our partners at the Puyallup Tribe, was a nice way to pay homage to the first peoples of our region.” Which makes the new art walk something of a scavenger hunt too.
In addition to the original artworks, neon whale tails (based on Northwest artist Shogo Ota’s World Cup poster design) have been placed in the windows of local shops and restaurants along the Unity Loop. The idea behind these “Seattle beacons” is to showcase the independently owned small businesses that make the city unique.
“Our goal is to use this moment of global attention that comes from soccer and then convert that into lasting progress for our community,” Flor says, “whether that’s in art, small business or maybe even the way that we see ourselves.”
Workers advocate for healthcare, higher wages ahead of World Cup
By Jaelynn Grisso, story published 05/27/2026
In early April, employees of contractors at SEATAC marched to deliver a letter of demands to the Port of Seattle leadership ahead of the World Cup, which is estimated to bring 750,000 visitors to Seattle.
Top among their demands is for employees of airport contractors to receive health insurance. According to union officials, more than 50% of workers employed by airport contractors do not have access to affordable health insurance.
“We are told that the Port of Seattle is a world class place to work, yet many of us don't have health insurance. While the Port conducts studies and asks us time and time again to fill out surveys as they issue proclamations, my coworkers and I are forced to choose between seeing a doctor or paying our rent, buying medicine or or buying groceries. This is the reality we face,” said Nancy Kibocha, cabin cleaner for ERMC Aviation, in a written statement.
She continued: “Every day, I clean up to ten flights, handling waste and bodily fluids—risking illness and injury to keep passengers safe and comfortable. But who is looking out for our comfort? It’s a dangerous double standard. You expect us to be the heartbeat of this airport, yet you do not mandate the basic healthcare required to keep that heart beating. I leave here every day with an aching body, knowing that if I fall sick or get injured on the job, I am on my own.”
Port of Seattle Police told the workers they had to leave and escorted them out shortly after marching in.
Employees for contractors make up the majority of airport employees. Port officials said that of the more than 22,000 employees, only 1,200 are employed by the Port itself. The remaining 20,000+ are employed by other companies that operate out of the airport.
Representatives from the Port of Seattle pointed to a study the commission started in late 2024 and provided this statement from Commission President Ryan Calkins: “The health of the workforce at SEA is vital to maintaining operations year-round. The Port is actively working with labor and business partners towards a policy that ensures every worker has access to affordable, quality healthcare and we anticipate taking action in the coming year.”
Some hospitality workers are similarly fighting for healthcare and better working conditions.
The Embassy Suites by Hilton neighbors Lumen Field. Workers there are negotiating for their contract, which is up at the end of May.
The employees are asking for reduced workloads for housekeepers, year-round health insurance coverage, and higher wages. The World Cup is expected to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in total economic impact for the region.
Representatives for Hilton did not respond by press time.
A guide to taking part (or not) during the World Cup in Seattle
By Paris Jackson, story published 05/26/2026
In a few weeks, Pioneer Square will become electric as the biggest event of the summer kicks off: the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Planning may be tricky, whether you’re a fan or not with organizers expecting upwards of 700,000 people to be in Seattle.
To help you plan for the World Cup, one of our local Seattle partners, NPR member station KNKX, has you covered with a comprehensive, frequently updated World Cup Guide.
“I think we're hoping that people get a sense of what's happening during this huge tournament, not only in Seattle, but across the region,” said Izzy Ross, KNKX Senior Digital News Manager.
The guide has the rundown on the “need-to-know" info: from the game schedule, to the options to get around besides driving, since the influx of people will affect traffic and transit.
“Sound Transit has said it's going to increase its service for the light rail. King County Metro is going to increase its bus service. There are going to be more standby ferries and options like that,” Ross said.
If you don’t have the pricey tickets in-hand - there are free options to watch the game.
“There's always going to a bar and watching the game there. There's other venues hosting watch parties as well. And then FIFA's local organizing committee has organized these fan zones in communities across the state, including in western Washington,” she explained.
There’s also plenty of fun for those who want to avoid the World Cup completely.
“There's lots of things to do. Lots of annual events are still taking place the Edmonds Arts Festival, the Fremont Solstice parade. Lots of pride festivities. The Bremerton Bridge blast. And the Olympic Airshow in Olympia,” Ross said.
KNKX wants to hear how you’re preparing for the World Cup. Click here to chime in.
