The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11 in 16 host cities across North America, including Seattle. Students and staff are looking forward to watching the action unfold on the world’s biggest soccer stage held at Lumen Field.

“I am very excited. I see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” sophomore Zander Cook said. “The World Cup is basically coming to my backyard.”

The World Cup is held every four years in a different host country, with 1994 being the last time the United States hosted the tournament. The 2022 World Cup had roughly 5 billion viewers, according to FIFA, making it the most-watched sporting event in the world ever, according to GiveMeSport.

Jeremiah Oshan is the editor of Sounder at Heart, a local sports media outlet. As a soccer journalist and fan, he was thrilled when Seattle was confirmed as a host city.

“When Seattle was announced as a World Cup host city, I was really excited and enthusiastic about it,” Oshan said. “I went to the celebratory event that was down at the waterfront, and it was amazing.”

A total of 104 games will be played at 16 stadiums across the USA, Mexico and Canada. An estimated 750,000 tourists will visit Seattle for this tournament, according to Seattle FIFA World Cup.
Because of soccer’s global popularity, PE teacher, Niki Harris believes that the United States may underestimate the scale of the event that they are hosting, including logistics and infrastructure.

“I just think the U.S. is in for a bit of a shock. Soccer is big here, but it’s not the biggest sport, and everywhere else it is,” Harris said. “We are not prepared in the slightest.”

To combat the influx of fans, Sound Transit is increasing the light rail service on the 1 and 2 Lines to one train every eight minutes. For the six games held at Lumen Field, the Sounder train line will have increased operations.

“Fans all around the world travel to see the World Cup, so I think it’ll really bring a new dimension to the city. There will be a million different cultures here supporting the game that they love,” Cook said. “Seattle will be booming.”

Legacy

Before the World Cup even begins, people are already debating its legacy, not just in terms of global spectacle but also in terms of what it will leave behind in the United States. For Oshan, a Seattle soccer journalist for the past 16 years, the answer has shifted over time.

After the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, anticipation for the 2026 tournament was high. With the USA set to host alongside Mexico and Canada, Oshan believed the event would popularize soccer in the United States.

“For my entire life, soccer has always been a sport that is treated as separate,” Oshan said. “I just thought that it was almost inevitable that it would become enormous and soccer would be mainstreamed in a way that it had really never been before.”

Oshan believed this World Cup would further that.

“I don’t think we fully understand the impact that the 2026 World Cup will have on soccer in America,” Oshan said.

However, just a couple of months away from the World Cup, Oshan’s excitement for the impact this World Cup will have on soccer in the USA has diminished due to controversy over ticket prices and immigration concerns.

“It’s hard to see that [breakthrough] happening now. I just think there’s too much baggage associated with it,” Oshan said.

Despite this, ninth grader Oliver Simpson remains hopeful.

“Having the World Cup in the United States will draw more attention to our soccer programs in our stadiums,” Simpson said. “And kind of give it more international recognition, which is pretty big for the United States.”

Cook sees a similar opportunity for the sport to grow in the USA.

“The World Cup being in the USA opens up horizons and inspires people to be like the soccer players they see,” Cook said. “It inspires them that soccer is a real possibility, and they can bring soccer into their life.”

Oshan admits that his concerns will disappear when the event starts, and that the World Cup will promote the American soccer league (MLS).

“There will be so much energy and attention focused on soccer in the United States that MLS will inevitably get some of the overflow,” Oshan said. “These fans are going to come away from the World Cup thinking, ‘Well, how do I do this on a daily basis?’”