SEATTLE — The men's World Cup final Sunday in Qatar was a mesmerizing event that touched every human emotion and fully displayed the galvanizing effect a sporting event can have both locally and globally.
Brace yourself. All that passion is headed to Seattle in four years.
That very thought occurred to Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer moments after Argentina's stirring victory over France had been completed. Just like everyone else who watched — a number that exceeded a billion people worldwide — Schmetzer was captivated by the twists and turns of an epic match that pitted two of the greatest players in the world, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, in peak performances.
"With all the controversy and some of the stuff that went on behind the scenes, the actual soccer shone through," Schmetzer said. "I mean, the tournament had everything, really, from a sports perspective. It was unbelievable. And then, after the final game, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, now we're going to do this here in four years.' "
In June, Seattle was selected as one of 11 American cities that will host matches — at Lumen Field — when the World Cup comes to North America in the summer of 2026. Though Qatar probably had the most compact geographic footprint in men's World Cup history, the next one will surely be the most far-flung, with the U.S., Canada and Mexico jointly awarded the bid.
All knockout-round matches as well as the finals will be in the U.S., but specific city assignments aren't expected to be unveiled until after the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, July 20-Aug. 20.
It's unlikely Seattle will get the nod for the men's championship final, which is expected to be chosen from among Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.; MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Seating capacity at Lumen Field is likely not high enough to satisfy FIFA's requirements for a final. But suffice it to say that Seattle hopes to be involved in the knockout round of a tournament that will expand from 32 to 48 teams.
"Wouldn't it be great if Seattle could host a quarterfinal, or round of 16?" Schmetzer mused. "Getting one of those knockout games would just be unbelievable."
Peter Tomozawa, the Sounders' president of business operations who was intimately involved in Seattle's bidding process to land the World Cup here, said diplomatically, "We're honored just to be in the conversation. ... Regardless of what happens, we're going to have essentially a monthlong to six-week celebration of soccer on the waterfront. It's going to be something that takes over the town, for sure."
Tomozawa recently returned from a whirlwind four-day trip to Qatar, along with another Sounders executive, chief operations officer Maya Mendoza-Exstrom, and Seahawks COO David Young, to get a firsthand immersion in the mechanics of putting on such a massive event. But as valuable as those lessons were, it was the emotional jolt of seeing the world come together in one site that really moved Tomozawa. He is eager to see that replicated in Seattle.
"One of the things FIFA prides itself on is the unifying power a sport like soccer can bring to the world," he said. "Our world, more than ever, needs something that unifies people. This is going to be an amazing event to do that."
The numbers are certainly staggering. An estimated 4 billion people watched World Cup matches, which is roughly half the world's population. For each individual match, the minimum number watching globally was 200 million — more than the 175 million who watch the Super Bowl. And that's the smallest number; it can get much higher, depending on the teams involved.
"If we host five matches, maybe six, depending on how you set up the tournament, it is equivalent to hosting five or six Super Bowls," Tomozawa said. "The enormity of this event was what I really felt when I got to Qatar. The eyeballs of the world are really, really watching on this thing."
That provides a golden opportunity for Seattle to show itself off, and to uphold its reputation as a soccer hotbed. Tomozawa said he wants Seattle to leave a lasting legacy, much like it did when it hosted the World's Fair in 1962 that resulted in the Seattle Center and Space Needle.
"In 2026, the World's Cup is coming to Seattle, but what we're really excited about is bringing Seattle to the world," he said.
Schmetzer, who has been at the forefront of Seattle soccer for decades, is confident that local soccer aficionados will turn out in force, while also anticipating the flood of worldwide fans to watch their countries play. There are still many planning challenges and logistical hurdles to navigate — such as the installation of grass at Lumen Field — but Schmetzer predicts the vitality of the event will be "transformational" in elevating the status of soccer both locally and nationwide.
"When people actually go to these games and see them live and in person, the amazing energy, it's going to change people's attitude about soccer, I think," Schmetzer said.
The politics of soccer at the FIFA level can be daunting, and there is much to question about Qatar's selection to host in 2022. But as Schmetzer said, the soccer itself was spectacular — and it's headed our way.
