“Safety is not just about buildings and barriers, its about smart planning, good policies, and being ready when things don’t go as planned,” President Jan Levy said in opening remarks on Wednesday, January 28. Seattle Rotary virtually hosted Seattle Police Captain Dan Nelson to discuss planning for safety for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. As the month comes to a close, the theme of safety for the month culminated in Captain Nelson sharing behind the scenes details going into ensuring safety and security for Seattle’s upcoming spotlight on the world stage.
With two decades with the Seattle Police department in crisis response, large-scale event planning, and emergency management, Captain Nelson is well prepared for the tournament. “This year’s tournament is a total of 48 national teams. So that’s 50% larger than any previous World Cup,” Captain Nelson shared. In addition to more teams in this year’s World Cup, Seattle is expected to hose over 750,000 visitors to the city for the World Cup, in addition to the standard summer visitors.
Seattle is hosting 6 games starting on June 15th and culminating on July 6th. In addition to hosting games at Lumen Field, the city and surrounding communities will host training facilities, fan activation zones, and team base camps.
Captain Nelson explained that teams will use two Seattle training facilities (UW and Seattle University) plus two team base camps in Washington at Longacres in Renton (Sounders facility) and Gonzaga University in Spokane, with final team assignments announced by FIFA. He noted that Washington will also host nine fan activation zones statewide so “local opportunities for those communities to enjoy FIFA” exist without everyone coming into downtown, alongside a diffuse fan experience model in Seattle with activations at Seattle Center and in the downtown core.
While the US Men’s National Team is scheduled to play Australia on June 19th, the match that has recently drawn the most attention is the June 26th match between Iran and Egypt. This match is scheduled to be the pride match during Pride Weekend in Seattle. Many have noted the anti-LGBTQ stances of these two countries is at odds with the scheduled pride event for the match. Captain Nelson noted that there are planned large scale Pro-LGBTQ protests to occur at or near the venue. “It’s very important that we offer parity for everybody. Everybody gets the same amount of consideration,” Captain Nelson said when ensuring safety for players, fans, and protestors.
With safety for all being paramount for Captain Nelson, he shared how there is expected to be traffic congestion not only near the venue, but across the city. Roughly four hours before each match, a large “last mile” zone south of Yesler will be closed to vehicle traffic and activated with vendors, beer gardens, and a “pile of police officers everywhere” for safety, wayfinding, and language assistance. “And I’m happy to report that Revive I-5 will be on pause, which is very exciting,” Captain Nelson joked.
Nelson said Seattle’s strategy combines the Seattle Police Department, mutual aid from departments around Washington, private security, and clearly identified volunteers. “You’ll see an SPD officer working alongside someone from Spokane Valley or Lynnwood,” he said, noting that outside officers will work overtime rather than being pulled from their home communities.
Addressing concerns about human trafficking, Nelson described a multi layered approach centered on education and targeted enforcement, with training coordinated through fusion centers and the local organizing committee. SPD will conduct extra emphasis patrols and use new technology to identify trafficking activity.
On immigration enforcement, Nelson was unequivocal: “We don’t facilitate, assist, share information, anything with ICE. Period. Full stop.” He stressed that SPD does not coordinate with ICE under Washington law and encouraged residents to call 911 if they see suspicious or armed activity.
Nelson urged residents and businesses to see the tournament as both a challenge and an opportunity. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our city,” he said. “Do whatever you can to activate your space…enjoy the time. It’s going to be frustrating at times…traffic is going to be a nightmare…but this is a real opportunity for us to showcase our beautiful city.”
The opening short program highlighted February’s education focus, with Lori Walker describing the Rotary education interest group’s monthly meetings and previewing a series of programs on Washington’s education system and Seattle’s long‑standing racial and economic achievement gaps, culminating in a panel of “boots‑on‑the‑ground” school and nonprofit leaders.
She and Taproot Theatre’s Jeremy Ehrlich then promoted the February 10 Taproot event featuring scenes from Taproot’s anti‑bullying touring troupe, improv with professional actors, and a behind‑the‑scenes look at how theatre supports social‑emotional learning, with tickets set at $20 and capacity limited to 120. Upcoming Rotary events of note include a February 4 lunch at the Motif Hotel with departing Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver and a Rotary night at the Seattle Boat Show that day as well.
In closing, President Levy told members that Captain Nelson’s presentation highlighted both the promise and the pressure of hosting a global event like the World Cup, noting that his detailed overview of crowd management, human‑trafficking prevention and multi‑agency coordination showed how intentional the work of safety must be. “Big events like this bring big excitement, energy and pride, but they also require very serious planning and coordination in order to keep people safe,” President Levy said, adding that leaders like Nelson and his team are doing that work now so that when the world arrives in Seattle, the community can focus on welcoming visitors and enjoying the moment.
-Hope you're taking it to the streets today, Logan!
