15
JUN
GROUP J · MD1
🇰🇷Korea Rep.vs🇳🇴Norway
Haaland's first WC outing · Seattle's first big match
18:00 PT01:00 GMT (16th)
68,740
Capacity (WC config)
6
WC 2026 matches
2002
Opened · $430 M build
Grass
Surface · converted for WC
DT
Downtown Seattle · walkable
02 · The Soul
The 12th Man's house, the loudest in football.
Loudest crowd ever recorded at a sporting event: 142.2 decibels. Seahawks vs 49ers, 2013. The 12th Man stays loud through whatever the field gives them.
The Sounders fill it every weekend · MLS's most consistent sellout · soccer infrastructure already there.
The slate: six WC matches including a knockout. Seattle is the only Pacific Northwest venue, and the only WC venue that can claim a Guinness record.
03 · The Fixtures · 6 matches
Every game played here.
Group + R16 · Pacific Northwest slate.
20
JUN
GROUP F · MD2
🇯🇵Japanvs🇸🇪Sweden
Asia-Europe matchup · the Pacific Rim fixture
17:00 PT00:00 GMT (21st)
24
JUN
GROUP G · MD3★ Group decider
🇭🇷Croatiavs🇧🇪Belgium
European decider · loser may go home
15:00 PT22:00 GMT
03
JUL
ROUND OF 32
TBDvsTBD
Single elimination
15:00 PT22:00 GMT
07
JUL
ROUND OF 16
R32 winnervsR32 winner
Pacific Northwest knockout night
13:00 PT20:00 GMT
04 · The Map
Pinned.
Downtown Seattle anchor · Pioneer Square, T-Mobile Park, Pike Place all walkable.
🏆Lumen Field
—Stadium · Downtown Seattle
2026 WC venue · 68,740 capacity, partial canopy.
🎉T-Mobile Park
0.2 miFan zones · SoDo
Mariners stadium next door · WC fan-festival anchor location.
🚆Stadium Light Rail
0.2 miTransit · SoDo
Link light rail · runs direct to SeaTac airport · 35 min total.
🛏Embassy Suites Seattle Downtown
1.0 miHotels · Downtown
Closest downtown hotel · walking distance to the gate.
🍽Pike Place Market
1.0 miRestaurants · Downtown
Seattle's famous market · pre-match seafood, chowder, fish-throwing.
🍺Pioneer Square
0.5 miBars · Pioneer Square
Seattle's oldest neighborhood · packed pre-match bars.
✈SeaTac International (SEA)
13 miAirports · Seattle
The major Seattle airport · 35-min direct light rail to the stadium.
06 · Getting There
Three ways in.
Seattle is a Link light rail town. The line runs from the airport straight to the gate.
🚆 From SeaTac Airport
Link light rail
35 mindoor to gate
$3.25one-way
8 minfrequency
1
Board Link light rail at SeaTac/Airport.
2
Get off at Stadium station.
3
2-min walk to the gate.
🚶 From downtown hotels
Walk · 10-15 min
10 minfrom Pioneer Sq
Freewalking
Flatterrain
1
Most downtown hotels are within a 15-min walk.
2
Follow 1st Ave or 2nd Ave south.
3
Walking is the locals' choice on event days.
🚗 From Bellevue / Eastside
I-90 across the bridge
30 minoff-peak
$40+on-site lots
6 lotscolour-coded
1
I-90 W across Lake Washington.
2
Exit 4th Ave S · follow signage.
3
Pre-paid parking strongly recommended.
07 · The Pitch & the Stands
The 12th Man's house, rebuilt for football.
The Sounders play on the converted FieldTurf year-round · WC 2026 swaps to natural grass three weeks before kickoff.
Field specifications
// FIFA-spec for WC 2026
SurfaceNatural grass · Kentucky Bluegrass
SourceOregon turf farm
Dimensions105m × 68m
RoofPartial · steel canopy on 2 sides
LightingLED · 2,500 lux
Pitch installed3 weeks before opener
After WCReverts to FieldTurf
LowerClubUpperVIP
08 · The History
Before it was a World Cup venue.
Opened in 2002. The biggest moments before WC 2026, in reverse.
2026
🏆 FIFA World Cup · 6 matches
Pacific Northwest's WC.
Six matches including a knockout. The 12th Man behind the Sounders' pitch is what every WC team will play against.
2013
🔊 Loudest stadium · 142.2 dB · Guinness record
The loudest in football.
Seahawks vs 49ers, December 2013. Crowd noise hit 142.2 dB on a tackle. Guinness sent verification. The record still stands.
2014
🏆 MLS Cup · Sounders 2-0 Toronto
Sounders' second MLS title.
Lumen's loudest MLS night. The Sounders fan culture was already a decade in.
2002
🏟 Opening · Seahawks vs Raiders
The 12th Man arrives.
First Seahawks regular-season game · the steel canopy designed to bounce crowd noise downward was the architectural signature.
★ The deepest line on this file
The R16.
Tuesday · 7 July 2026 · 13:00 PT
34
Days
06
Hours
33
Minutes
55
Seconds
Pacific Northwest's WC knockout night · the loudest stadium on earth at full tilt.
09 · Stadium trivia
Five facts for Pike Place.
For the chowder line.
Guinness world record · loudest
142.2 decibels on a tackle. December 2013. Verified by Guinness. Nobody has seriously chased the record since.
The steel canopy bounces sound
The roof is designed to amplify crowd noise · half the bowl is covered specifically to bounce decibels back to the field.
Sounders are MLS's most-watched
The most-attended MLS club every season · the soccer infrastructure here is the most-tested in the country.
The rain isn't in June
Seattle\'s rainy reputation is a Pacific Northwest winter thing · June averages only 1.5 inches of rain. WC kickoffs land in the dry window.
Direct light rail to the airport
The only US WC venue with a one-train ride to the airport · 35 min · $3.25 · clean.
The deepest truth in the file
Six matches.The loudest stadium on earth.12th Man behind every WC team.
Host venue2026 R1668,740 capacity12th ManPacific Northwest