2026 World Cup Host City Insights – Seattle

2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup Countdown

In the second edition of our series highlighting 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup host markets, we’re putting Seattle – host of four Group Stage games and two knockout round games – under the microscope. Whether you’re a marketer, a brand, or just a fan, we’ve gathered a sampling of insights to help you capitalize on Seattle World Cup soccer interest.

Market Overview

Before we dive into soccer-specific info, let’s start with a snapshot of the demographics of the Seattle and Tacoma metro area in comparison to the rest of the United States. Below are insights into population, age, race, family size, education, and income via the U.S. Census Bureau.

Category	United States	Seattle	Tacoma
Population	334,914,895	749,256	221,776
Persons <18 years old	21.7%	14.0%	19.7%
Persons 65+ years old	17.3%	12.8%	14.2%
White, alone	75.5%	63.6%	61.3%
Black, alone	13.6%	6.7%	10.6%
Hispanic or Latino	19.1%	7.5%	12.3%
Persons in HH	2.57	2.05	2.38
Language other than English spoken by age 5+	21.7%	22.9%	17.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.3%	66.7%	32.8%
Median HH income	$75,149	$116,068	$79,085

The Seattle-Tacoma DMA is the 14th biggest television market in the U.S., according to Nielsen, with over 1.8 million TV households. This accounts for 1.6% of all U.S. TV households. For comparison sake, here are the DMAs that surround Seattle-Tacoma:

• 12. Phoenix (Prescott) – 1.89 million (1.65%)
• 13. Detroit – 1.85 million (1.62%)
• 14. Seattle-Tacoma – 1.81 million (1.58%)
• 15. Minneapolis-St. Paul – 1.74 million (1.52%)
• 16. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale – 1.70 (1.48%)

Noteworthy for the FIFA World Cup – FOX has an owned and operated local station, KCPQ, serving the Seattle-Tacoma area, while Telemundo has an affiliate station, KIRO.

Brief Seattle-Area Pro Soccer History

Seattle has a rich and passionate soccer history that gained significant momentum with the establishment of the Seattle Sounders in 1974. The team initially competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and quickly became a focal point for soccer enthusiasts in the region. Despite the NASL’s eventual demise, the soccer culture in Seattle endured, setting the stage for the city’s later successes.

The modern era of soccer in Seattle reached new heights with the awarding of an MLS expansion franchise in 2009 and the return of the Sounders to the top division of soccer in the U.S. The team created an immediate impact, drawing large crowds and consistently performing at a high level on the field. The team’s passionate fan base, the Emerald City Supporters, creates an electric atmosphere at games, helping establish Seattle as one of the most soccer-crazed cities in the United States.

Prior to rebranding as OL Reign and moving to Tacoma, Seattle Reign also played a crucial role in shaping Seattle’s soccer landscape. Founded in 2012, the Reign became a prominent force on and off the field in the National Women’s Soccer League. The team’s strong presence in the community and its dedicated fan base contributed to the overall growth and popularity of soccer in Seattle. Their impact in the region remains an integral part of the city’s soccer history, showcasing the thriving and inclusive nature of the sport in the Pacific Northwest.

A history of hosting events

Lumen Field, formerly known as CenturyLink Field, has a storied history of hosting notable soccer events, which makes it a great addition to the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup host cities. The stadium’s involvement in soccer dates back to its opening in 2002, but it’s mostly widely known as the home of the Seattle Sounders since their MLS debut in 2009. The Sounders consistently draw large crowds to Lumen Field, creating an electric atmosphere that has become synonymous with the team and the city’s soccer culture.

Lumen Field has also been selected as the host venue for various high-profile soccer events, showcasing its capacity to host major tournaments. The stadium has welcomed international matches, exhibition games featuring renowned clubs, and significant competitions like the Concacaf Gold Cup.

We have a long history of activating MLS and Sounders partners like Microsoft, Alcatel, and Zulily outside Lumen Field and know it will be a tremendous host for FIFA World Cup games – especially the U.S. Men’s National Team’s second Group Stage game.

Soccer interest in Seattle-Tacoma

Using 2023 data from the U.S. Census, MRI-Simmons, and Esri’s Market Potential Index, below is a table illustrating the percent of the DMA’s population who participated or is likely to participate in several soccer-specific categories. Also included are the respective indexes, highlighting the amount the DMA over-indexes relative to the general U.S. population.

Category	% of Population	Index
Participated in Soccer/12 Mo	3.25%	104
Watch World Cup Soccer	5.64%	105
Watch International Soccer	6.06%	105
Watch the U.S. Men's National Team	3.75%	105
Watch the U.S. Women's National Team	3.63%	107
Watch MLS	5.17%	106

Putting Seattle-Area Zip Codes under the soccer microscope

With background on the DMA and the relationship of its residents to soccer, let’s now combine the two and dive a bit deeper by identifying key zip codes with residents who over-index in soccer-specific engagements.

Using similar data referenced above, below is a map of the Seattle-Fort Worth DMA that highlights specific zip codes meeting the following criteria:

• Over-index in participating in soccer in the last 12 months
• Over-index in likely demand for watching the World Cup on TV

Of the 343 zip codes within the DMA, 103 (30%) meet the above criteria. Notably, all but seven are within 50 miles of Lumen Field – home of six games in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

Curious which individual zip codes over-index most in both criteria? Check out the scatter plot graph below for more insight.

For ease of sorting and discovery, here are the top 20 zip codes for each category.

Searching for “2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup“

We’ve still got some time before the tournament kicks off in June of 2026, but it’s interesting to note the search volume trends within the Seattle-Tacoma area. Below is the volume of Google searches for “2026 FIFA World Cup” since January 1, 2022.

Two notable spikes in searches are in June 2022 and November-December 2022. The former was the period during which FIFA announced the host markets for the 2026 tournament. The latter is during the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup when searches were likely increased due, in part, to preview discussions around 2026.

The next notable spike in search volume is from when the full schedule of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World cup was announced.

Note: the embedded graph will not populate if you use Safari as your browser. To view the graph, click here.