The Seattle Sports Commission's Region Ready program recently announced that Pacific Place — the 1998 downtown mall that has struggled with vacancies since the pandemic — will serve as a fan zone hub for SEA 2026, the FIFA World Cup matches coming to Lumen Field next summer.
The plan: Seattle Soccer House — fan activation inside Pacific Place's five-story atrium, with food and beverage, merchandise, and interactive programming. The infrastructure is already there: the atrium's central LED tower runs four stories floor-to-ceiling.
Pacific Place is the fan zone closest to most of downtown — and the most transit-accessible in the city. For anyone not near the waterfront, it's the nearest activation point: a short walk from the hotel corridor along 6th and 7th, and from the neighborhoods on the hill — Capitol Hill, First Hill, Denny Triangle. Light rail stops two blocks away at Westlake Link Station.
Other official Seattle Fan Celebrations include:
- Seattle Center (accessible by bus or Monorail from downtown)
- Waterfront Park, Pier 62 (10 minute walk from Westlake Station)
- Seattle Matchday Live at Victory Hall (1st Ave. S, across from T-Mobile Park — 15-minute walk from Stadium Link Station)
No public programming for the nearby Arch or Summit has been announced.
Resources
- Seattle Sports Commission — Region Ready
- Fourth Friday Art Walk — Pacific Place is also a monthly art walk stop
- The Commons proposal
- The financial case for a new operator
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