Seattle 4 hosted its first Zoom meeting of the Rotary year with guest speaker Leo Flor, Chief Legacy Officer for the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026. Seattle will play host to over 750,000 people, for 6 matches, and with the potential for billions of viewers across the world to experience the city through broadcast. “It would sound like puffery to say that this is the largest tournament that has ever taken place on Earth. But absent the dinosaurs having done something that I’m not aware of, it’s just sort of empirically true. It’s not hyperbole,” Flor said when commenting on the anticipated size of the upcoming games.

In 2026, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will all play host to 48 teams across 16 different cities, with Seattle having been selected to host 6 of games. While the final team selection has not been finalized, the US Men’s soccer team is set to play at least one game in Seattle. The World Cup is also expected to be a statewide event as well with locations having been scouted in Washington for practice fields, team base camps, and fan activations.

Another area of focus for Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 is to promote all of Seattle, Washington, and the Pacific Northwest as a whole. In striving for this goal, Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 has been working to promote the cultural heritage and importance of theSalish People and Puyallup Tribe. “When we talk about an iconic Seattle image, not only will we see fish being thrown at Pike Place, not only will we see the Space Needle, but people will think of the Salish People, in their canoes on the water, with the mountains in the background of the city,” Flor said when speaking about the goal of showcasing all of the Seattle and Washington area during the World Cup.

Besides aiding state, regional, and local governments with preparing for the upcoming games, the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 group is focused on securing a long lasting and positive legacy. “Legacy only happens if you actually do stuff. And so, my role is how do we convert a lot of our ambitions into actions,” Flor said. An example shared during the presentation is how this event would be remembered in 20 years. Drawing similarities to the 1962 World’s Fair, Flor shared that the goal is to mirror the success of that event’s legacy with the World Cup.

With such a large event coming to Seattle, the importance of safety and security isn’t lost on the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 group. Flor shared the plans to work with local law enforcement agencies, event organizers, and other key groups preparing for the World Cup in identifying, preventing, and educating on the issues of trafficking. “So, I think ultimately, we’re going to be looking to create and purchase curriculums,” Flor said, “to make sure that what we’re putting out there is the state of the art and best practice.”

While tickets have not gone on sale yet for the World Cup, the best way to get information for those is to register directly with the FIFA World Cup 2026 website.

Thanks Logan for another fab meeting report!