soccer – Sounders FC Alliance Council

Inside Seattle’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Plans with Peter Tomozawa

The Seattle Sounders Alliance Council recently had the honor of sitting down for a roundtable discussion with Peter Tomozawa, Chief Executive Officer of Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026, to hear first-hand how our city is preparing to host the world’s biggest sporting event.

From Lumen Field to the new waterfront, Seattle is aiming to deliver a world-class fan experience rooted in local culture, accessibility, and sustainability. Here are the highlights every Seattle soccer fan should know.

Strategic Pillars for Seattle 2026

Seattle’s vision for the 2026 FIFA World Cup focuses on three core pillars:

Human Rights – Ensuring inclusivity, equality, and safe spaces for all fans and participants.
Accessibility – Creating a fan-friendly experience for residents, visitors, and supporters of all abilities.
Sustainability – Minimizing environmental impact while maximizing positive legacy for the community.

The “Unity Loop” Fan Experience

One of the centerpiece features of Seattle’s World Cup festivities will be the Unity Loop, a pedestrian-friendly pathway linking some of the city’s most iconic locations.

The loop will start at Lumen Field, extend through the Seattle waterfront, Seattle Center, Westlake, and the Chinatown-International District, before returning to Lumen. Along the way, visitors will enjoy public art installations, cultural landmarks, and 15–20 selfie stations designed for sharable moments on social media.

Public Art Installations

Seattle is already bringing the vision to life with new murals downtown:

United Currents by Seattle artist Leo Shallat at Spring Street & 5th Avenue.
United by Nature by internationally recognized street artist INO, covering 17 stories at 1306 Western Avenue.

These works mark the start of a larger plan to showcase Seattle’s vibrant art scene to both local fans and global visitors.

Key Dates & Initiatives for Fans

Fall 2025 – World Cup ticket strips go on sale.
December 5, 2025 – Official FIFA World Cup match draw.
Spring 2026 – Launch of a FIFA World Cup mobile app (inspired by Pokémon GO) with interactive challenges and prizes.
100 Days Out – City celebration featuring the unveiling of a permanent statue by a Seattle artist.
Volunteer Program – Apply now to join FIFA’s official volunteer team.

Stadium & Field Preparations

Once the NFL season ends, Lumen Field will replace its artificial turf with natural grass, currently expected in February 2026. This will give fans, and players, a grass pitch experience for World Cup matches. The Seattle Sounders are expected to begin their 2026 MLS season on the new grass field.

MLS Season Pause for the World Cup

Major League Soccer has confirmed it will pause league play during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This ensures full player availability for national teams and an undistracted fan atmosphere across North America.

Democracy in Sports: the Meaning Behind the Words

May 3, 2015

By Stephanie Steiner, Alliance Council President

In February of this year, Alliance Council was invited to SSFC headquarters to meet with Adrian Hanauer and to be introduced to our new General Manager and President of Soccer, Garth Lagerwey for the first time. During the evening’s conversation, Mr. Hanauer introduced the topic of the General Manager Vote and asked us to collect our thoughts and make a recommendation on the right thing to do regarding the timing of the vote. In reading the Charter, we realized the ambiguity of the language included there. So here we are, only two and a half years following Adrian Hanauer’s landslide vote of “confidence,” facing questions we weren’t expecting so soon, if at all: Is it the right thing to do for the Club to hold a GM Vote every four years on a set schedule no matter what? Could it interfere with the Club’s ability to hire the best General Manager possible, if the candidate would be facing a vote within a very short time of accepting the position? If the candidate is the best and confident in their abilities, would that scheduled vote even matter to the person? What is the Alliance actually expecting or wanting?

At the March Council meeting three weeks later, we created a work group to take on the task of debating the conversation surrounding the GM Vote topic, collecting ideas and opinions, and we took those to the general council meeting in April. After that conversation, the ideas grew and the extended list was shared with our SSFC Liaison, Taylor Graham at the end of April – and the ideas grew even further. It is easy to see how each time we add a different perspective to the conversation, new ideas emerge as to how to solve the same challenges and our opportunities to satisfy our Alliance members get better and far more interesting.

Our challenge has been to get to the Alliance at large. In the coming weeks, you will see these questions in social media. Please take the time to answer them in the comment sections of that media format, or send us a direct message: SSFCAlliance@gmail.com

Democracy in Sports: What does it mean to you?

What would “Democracy in Sports” need to provide such that the Season Ticket Members could influence the direction of the Club?

In a perfect world, what does “Democracy in Sports” mean to you? How would it function?

With regard to General Manger Vote of Confidence – No Confidence, do you believe a new General Manager should have a minimum amount of time to prove him/herself in the position before facing a vote? If so, how much?

In the context of “Democracy in Sports,” what can be done to make this your Club and not just a product you are consuming?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Go Sounders!