Transportation leaders have a big request for you this summer: don’t drive to Downtown Seattle during the World Cup if you don’t have to.
Transit officials stress there will not be stadium parking on site during matches, though there will be some available in the stadium district.
The area is set to welcome more than 700,000 visitors for the matches this summer, according to county leaders, on top of a record year for cruise travel in the region, as well as an intense Mariners schedule and other summer activities.
“We’re not just focused on the matches themselves, but all of the other things that are going on,” said Sam Zimbabwe, part of Seattle FWC2026.
Sound Transit and King County Metro are both expanding service to assist with crowds.
Sound Transit will run additional service this summer, and is encouraging fans to use multiple stations to get to and from games.
If you’re coming from the north or leaving home to the north, use the Pioneer Square station. From the south, use the Stadium station. From the east (or if you’re an ADA passenger), use the International District/Chinatown station.
If you’re traveling within Downtown Seattle, King County Metro is offering a Match Day Shuttle between the Stadium District, Downtown, and the Seattle Center. The shuttle buses will have the ability to move more than 2,800 people each hour.
“One way that we’re kind of thinking about this is almost as if we are adding a fourth rail station, and it’s an integral part of the puzzle,” said Jonathan Rose, the FIFA Program Director with King County Metro.
Big construction closures will pause during the World Cup too.
The local organizing chapter helping with World Cup match days has resources so you can plan your route around Seattle during matches. Read more here.
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