What’s next for Seattle as the FIFA World Cup winds down in the city?

One day after the last Seattle-based match of the FIFA Men’s World Cup, civic leaders are tantalized by the prospect of hosting other global sports events, including the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

One hundred percent, we have our sights set on it,” Peter Tomozawa, CEO of Seattle’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup local organizing committee, said Tuesday at a news conference. “It’s going to be awesome if we get it. It’ll be a huge mistake, I think, if we don’t.”

The global soccer tournament was considered a smash hit for Seattle by locals and tourists alike. Summer in the city enchanted visitors, and downtown businesses reaped the benefits. Though many World Cup events were crowded with attendees, they felt free from danger. Seattle transformed into the best kind of party.

The city hosted six matches over three weeks at Lumen Field, known as Seattle Stadium for the tournament. The first one kicked off on June 15, with Belgium and Egypt duking it out. Other group stage games included Australia vs. the U.S., Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar and Egypt vs. Iran.

The heat was turned up during the round of 32, which featured a match between Belgium and Senegal. It came to a close Monday with a disappointing loss for the U.S. in the round of 16, with the Stars and Stripes destroyed by Belgium. Final score: 4-1.

Still, the Seattle local organizing committee expounded upon the tournament’s successes here, including community engagement, turnout and public safety wins.

Future ‘mega-events’

Beth Knox, president and CEO of the Seattle Sports Commission, is leading the charge for Seattle’s selection as a host city once more.

She anticipates that FIFA will announce the host countries for the 2031 Women’s World Cup at the end of the year, then triggering the host city application process.

The FIFA Council has already kicked off the bidding for the tournament in five years, with the U.S. joining Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica in a bid. Seattle’s Lumen Field was listed as a potential site.

But first, the next FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil in 2027.

That’s not the only sporting event local leaders have in mind.

Knox said she wants to pursue a variety of bids, such as NCAA championships and international youth competitions. She also aims to explore opportunities like the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic torch relay, golf tournaments and the Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cup.

There are financial obligations to keep in mind, though.

“These mega-events do come with a price tag,” she said Tuesday. “We can bid on an event and then be awarded it, but then we’re also expected to cover the cost for it.”

‘We passed with flying colors’

For now, civic leaders are relishing in what they say was a job well done by the community.

Record numbers of people turned out for the soccer tournament in Seattle.

On Monday, 25,000 people marched in support of the U.S. men’s national soccer team, Tomozawa said, and 3,500 Belgium fans walked in their own event.

Jennifer Casillas, vice president of public realm and ambassador operations at the Downtown Seattle Association, referred to June 19 – the day of the match between the U.S. and Australia – as one of the busiest days downtown in recent years.

She said downtown welcomed more than 580,000 domestic visitors that day. Occidental Square had 28,000 people, while Westlake Park saw 9,000 people.

“Yesterday’s counts will very likely surpass June 19,” Casillas said.

Across the first five matches, more than 750,000 people visited Seattle’s official fan celebration sites, according to Antoinette Sullivan, the Washington State Department of Commerce’s community engagement and outreach division assistant director.

The World Cup delivered a “tremendous boost” to Washington’s tourism economy, she said.

“Seattle is a city that is ready to welcome the world,” Sullivan said. “We’re excited to do it again.”

Several Seattle neighborhoods, including the Chinatown International District, didn’t experience the same boom as Pioneer Square and the Waterfront.

“It was clear that they were feeling a little bit underserved, for sure,” Tomozawa said.

In response, a watch party was set up in Hing Hay Park for Monday’s match, and 2,500 people showed up.

“We probably would have started that earlier,” Tomozawa said.

Local hotels experienced swings and shifts.

Kelly Saling, chief business officer at Visit Seattle, highlighted June 18 as a pinnacle. It broke the single-day revenue record for the city’s hotels, she said.

That week, revenue grew 40% year over year.

“Following yesterday’s match, we expect strong hotel revenue results as well,” Saling said.

Hotel occupancy tracked at its highest on the nights before the games and the nights of, she explained. However, occupancy fell between matches.

“It’s largely because we’re a city with consistently strong summer demand,” Saling said.

Seattle clenched a definitive win after welcoming tourists without any notable safety issues.

“There was no incident to speak of,” Tomozawa said. “That is just unbelievable.”

He credited chief security officer and former Seattle Police Chief John Diaz with that feat.

Even with the world’s eyes on Seattle during the Pride match between Egypt and Iran, as many worried about potential conflicts, the day ultimately went smoothly.

“We passed with flying colors,” Tomozawa said. “It is the most proud I’ve ever felt.