Lumen Field is most northerly by far of the 11 United States stadiums hosting matches at World Cup 2026. Located in the Pacific Northwest, it's much closer to Vancouver than Santa Clara, where the next-closest USA stadium stands.
It's one of 16 World Cup 2026 venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada, and will host four group stage matches and two knock-out games under the name 'Seattle Stadium'.
FourFourTwo has the complete lowdown on this World Cup stadium, from the capacity and history of Lumen Field to its usage at World Cup 2026.
Background
Lumen Field: The background
Lumen Field, which will host six matches at World Cup 2026, is not one of Major League Soccer's soccer-specific stadiums but it is the permanent home of top-level men's and women's teams and thus a football stadium more often than it is anything else.
It was constructed as a new facility for the Seattle Seahawks. The NFL team had shared the Kingdome with the city's baseball and basketball teams but took up residence at Lumen Field near downtown Seattle on the edge of Elliott Bay. It will be the venue for a Round of 32 match and a Round of 16 match at World Cup 2026.
Lumen Field is the middle of three stadiums involved in the Cascadia Cup rivalry. After the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps names were carried into MLS when the league expanded into the old NASL markets, the rivalries were reborn. Seattle is a football city.
There will be four group stage matches at the distinctive Lumen Field. They include two for Egypt, the second group stage fixture for the United States against Australia and, potentially, the last group game for Northern Ireland or Wales.
Location
Where is Lumen Field located?
Lumen Field is located in the south of Seattle's downtown district, just the kick of a ball away from the banks of Elliott Bay. Seattle itself is situated between the Puget Sound to the west and Lake Washington to the east, and is just a three-hour drive away from the Canadian host city of Vancouver.
Fans can travel to Lumen Field on the 1 Line of the city's light rail system, which stops at International District/Chinatown and the conveniently named Stadium station. Amtrak and local commuter rail services stop at King Street Station nearby.
Capacity
What is the capacity of Lumen Field?
Lumen Field is expected to have a seated capacity of 69,000 for its World Cup 2026 matches.
Tenants
Who plays at Lumen Field usually?
Lumen Field has been the home of the Seattle Seahawks since 2003 and is also the permanent base of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders and the NWSL's Seattle Reign.
The Sounders were inaugurated in 2009 and won MLS Cup twice in their first 11 years of existence in their MLS guise, while the Reign, co-owned by the Sounders organisation, moved into Lumen Field in 2022.
World Cup 2026 games
Which World Cup 2026 games is Lumen Field hosting?
Lumen Field will host four group stage matches and two knock-out games at the 2026 World Cup.
