Seattle’s Lumen Field is set to be the stage for six matches during the forthcoming Club World Cup next year, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced on Tuesday.
The Seattle Sounders earned their spot in this prestigious tournament by clinching the title in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League and will play all three of their group-stage matches at their home ground.
In addition to the Sounders’ games, Lumen Field will also host three other matches, as it is one of 12 venues hosting a total of 63 matches throughout the tournament. This year’s Club World Cup will see an expanded roster of 32 teams drawn from FIFA’s six soccer confederations.
“We want to hear some excitement, and we look forward to the noise record being broken at this stadium by the Seattle Sounders fans during the FIFA Club World Cup next year,” Infantino expressed in a video shared on social media.
Scheduled to kick off on June 15 and run until July 13, the tournament will conclude with the final match taking place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is also the site selected for the upcoming 2026 World Cup final.
However, the Club World Cup has yet to secure any major sponsorships within the United States, nor has a media rights agreement been reached thus far.
Infantino was expected to engage in discussions with local officials, representatives from the Seattle Sounders, the Seattle Reign from the National Women’s Soccer League, as well as key players involved in the organization of Seattle’s 2026 World Cup endeavor.
Seattle has also been confirmed as one of the host cities for the men’s World Cup scheduled for 2026.
After the announcement of the Club World Cup dates, the global players’ union FIFPRO expressed discontent with FIFA for not adequately considering player workloads when scheduling the tournament.
On Monday, FIFPRO’s European division along with the 33-member European Leagues organization lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission, citing a lack of appropriate consultation on FIFA’s part regarding these decisions.
The European Commission, based in Brussels and serving as the executive body of the 27-member European Union, possesses the authority to intervene in cases of competition law violations.
The Club World Cup will feature twelve teams from Europe, including prominent names such as Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid, and Red Bull Salzburg.
Other teams that have qualified for the tournament include South American giants Boca Juniors, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras, and River Plate; North America’s Leon, Monterrey, Pachuca, and the Seattle Sounders; African representatives Al Ahly, Esperance, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Wydad; Asian teams Al-Hilal, Al Ain, Ulsan, and Urawa; plus Auckland City from Oceania.