BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Today, January 14, 2025, officials with the City of Bellingham (COB) announced Bellingham has been selected as one of 9 “fan zone” cities in Washington State, a designation made by the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 local organizing committee (SeattleFWC26).
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will involve 48 professional soccer teams from around the globe playing in over 100 matches culminating in a final scheduled to be played in New York on July 19, 2026. 6 of those matches are scheduled to be played in Seattle at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Sounders MLS team.
As a fan zone, Bellingham will air each of the six FIFA World Cup 26TM matches played in Seattle at local venues for exciting watch parties – including a game on June 19 featuring Team USA.
Our community will also benefit from a portion of state and federal funding for security and small business readiness, and we’ll receive support to host fan activations and spin-off events activities to celebrate the spirit of the games. In addition to watch parties, you can expect other opportunities to join in the excitement – with more chances to watch matches from other North American cities; arts, culture and recreational activities; and tie-ins to existing local events.
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Click for more informationWe are also harnessing this opportunity to not only make the Bellingham fan zone a top-notch experience in 2026, but also to leave a legacy for our community’s future. We’re leveraging this moment to grow economic opportunities for local businesses, spur legacy projects that will benefit our community for years to come, and to showcase our city as a perennial destination for visitors.
The City of Bellingham has been working for months to secure this opportunity, and we are building a team with the expertise to make this an unrivaled experience with lasting positive impact for our community.
We’re grateful and excited to have key partnerships in place with the Port of Bellingham and Visit Bellingham – organizations poised to lead on economic development opportunities and tourism.
In the coming months, we will be rolling out the plans we’ve had underway to convene the many stakeholders who are critical to making this a success. Over the next year and a half, this group of local experts will support planning for transportation needs, local business supports, events and activities, City projects and much more.
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Click for more information– City of Bellingham (January 14, 2025)
Fan zone venues around previous FIFA Cup events have been built around large screens set up in large indoor and outdoor venues able to host large crowds and accompanied by live entertainment, fan activities and food and beverage offerings.
Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund is quoted on the SeattleFWC26 website, “Bellingham is ready to get in the game for FIFA World Cup 2026! From waterfront watch parties to showcasing our unrivaled recreation opportunities, we can’t wait to show off the best of the Pacific Northwest.”
SeattleFWC26 officials issued their announcement today about the 9 fan zone partnerships, including Bellingham. The 9 fan zones are in addition to a planned Seattle fan celebration at the Seattle Center.
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Fan zone locations include:
- Bellingham – Whatcom County
- Bremerton – Kitsap County
- Everett – Snohomish County
- Olympia/Lacey – Thurston County
- Pasco/Richland/Kennewick (Tri-Cities) – Benton & Franklin Counties
- Spokane – Spokane County
- Tacoma – Pierce County
- Vancouver – Clark County
- Yakima – Yakima County
The Local Organizing Committee is working with FOX 13 Seattle, a broadcast partner of FIFA World Cup 26, to support fan zones across the state.
– Seattle FIFA World Cup ’26 local organizing committee (January 14, 2025)
Seattle is 1 one of 16 host cities in 3 host countries (Canada, Mexico and the US) selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will take place in June and July 2026.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025 will take place from September to October 2025 in Chile.
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