By Alia Sinclair

Lumen Field in Seattle was selected to host a total of six World Cup matches as a part of the 2026 FIFA Games, and SeaTac City Councilmembers had some thoughts.

These games are estimated to bring 750,000 to one million unique visitors to the Seattle area and Puget Sound Region.

As the gateway to Seattle, the City of SeaTac is developing a readiness plan to ensure visitors flooding the region have a safe and memorable time in SeaTac.

City staff have been busy identifying the Key Areas of Focus necessary for preparing for the event and have developed two readiness plans for council consideration.

The first is called the Basic Plan and includes everything city staff believes is of baseline necessity to prepare for the event successfully.

The Basic Plan includes:

  • Managing transportation
  • Hiring more police officers
  • Preventing drug overdoses and human trafficking
  • Improving park security
  • Activating the emergency operations center
  • Hiring seasonal maintenance workers
  • Supporting communications
  • Funding the 2026 Farmers Market

This plan is expected to cost the city between $700,000 and $1.2 million.

The Enhanced Plan curated by city staff includes additional experiences meant to make the event more memorable for visitors to SeaTac. The enhanced plan is expected to cost between $1.6 million and $3.6 million.

Below are the proposed enhanced experiences and their corresponding cost to the city:

  • A culinary experience program (about $150,000)
  • A food truck village (about $500,000 to $1.5 million)
  • Business building improvements (about $500,000 to $1 million)
  • Tourism and community events (about $500,000 to $1 million)

Councilmember Joe Vinson weighed in with his comments, “I think the baseline plan that keeps us safe, that keeps us moving, is great. But I want to see us step beyond that.” Turning to address his colleagues, he added, “We’re going to be the gateway to the Pacific Northwest to the largest event that we will ever see. We also have a once in a generation, in my opinion, opportunity to get this right.”

A final budget decision will be brought before city council on Sept. 23 at the Regular Council Meeting.