The world’s biggest sporting competition, the FIFA World Cup 2026, is coming to Seattle. With the growing soccer culture in the United States, and Seattle in particular, this news has brought excitement throughout the city. This is a big step in the right direction for the continued growth of soccer for an already soccer rich city. The news has also brought excitement throughout the halls of Shorewood.
The tournament begins June 11, 2026 in Mexico City at the Estadio Azteca. The competition will take place in 16 cities across three countries: Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Seattle is set to host four group stage games including one United States Men’s National Team game. The city will also host two knockout stage games, a Round of 32 match held on July 1 and then a Round of 16 match set to be held on July 6.
For many, the news of the World Cup coming to Seattle made people start looking into attending the games. Luke Gillingham, senior, is a big soccer fan and a former soccer player. Right away Gillingham began looking forward to the competition. “I definitely started thinking about what kind of games could happen and definitely making sure I was checking things and seeing when tickets would be available,” he said. Sophie Schindler, junior, plays soccer but is also a youth soccer ref so she knows alot about the soccer community in Seattle. Like Gillingham, Schindler’s initial reaction to the news was excitement. “I was excited, I saw it on Instagram and then I told my dad that we should go to the games that are in Seattle,” she said.
Previously, the United States has been the laughing stock in world fútbol as it puts a lot of its resources into other sports like American football and basketball. But since its recent success in the 2022 World Cup and in North American competitions, the US has been catching the attention of many nations for its recent growth. Isak Medhaug a sophomore who plays on the boys soccer team and also plays club soccer has noticed this recent growth. “I think [soccer] has grown a lot, our national team has gotten much better and actually started to compete and young players nowadays are getting better,” he said.
This 2026 World Cup also has the potential to get more people interested in soccer that may not have been before. “It will give the American people a chance to really get a good look and pay attention, and I think we saw that last World Cup when everybody was around school watching it,” Gillingham said, “it genuinely could inspire a lot of kids to get involved and keep playing.” Medhaug likewise thinks that this news could encourage kids to start playing. “I feel like more people will appreciate the sport because they don’t realize how big the sport is,” Medhaug said.
The World Cup coming to Seattle is a chance for the soccer community to grow even more. “I think Seattle has a really big soccer community especially with the Sounders winning their CONCACAF Championship,” Schindler said, “Lots of people are going to go watch the games that are played at Lumen Field. As one person goes, more people are going to go even if they don’t watch soccer, but they’re just gonna want to be a part of it.”
