From new soccer fields to artworks, World Cup leaves its legacy in WA

Seattle is wrapping up its World Cup hosting role, but organizers say the tournament's impact will be felt long after the games end.

From new soccer fields and artwork across the region to a workforce development program and a welcome center, Seattle FWC26 Chief Legacy Officer Leo Flor said at a Monday news conference that hosting the World Cup has been an occasion to enrich Seattle while all eyes are on the city.

"What we wanted to do was figure out ways to take that attention and then harness it toward projects and partnerships that really help our community long-term," Flor said.

Fifty-two new soccer fields have been built across the state with the support of the RAVE Foundation, a charitable arm of Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC.

Seattle FWC26 contributed directly to 15 of those fields, including one at the Puyallup Tribe's Chief Leschi Schools and two at Lummi Nation Schools, Seattle's World Cup local organizing committee said in a news release.

Several organizations and the Puyallup Tribe also helped create a new soccer field in Tacoma called "Visa Street Soccer Park" or "wələx̌ʷildubutali," which means "place to make yourself strong."

The park is meant to serve as a community play space and is specifically sized to accommodate a set of regulation blind soccer pitch panels so it can be used as a regional training hub for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.

Seattle has also become a regional hub for blind soccer, Seattle FWC26 said. In May, the city hosted the Blind Soccer International Tournament at Interbay Stadium. Afterward, Seattle FWC26 donated a set of blind soccer kickboards to the new field in Tacoma.

Seattle FWC26 also created the "Unity Loop," a curated map of 168 local businesses and cultural highlights across 10 Seattle neighborhoods.

Gig workers like those in janitorial and event services now have access to workforce development, education and training through the launch of UNTemp, a worker-owned dispatch service, committee organizers said.

Organizers noted a labor standards agreement signed before the games by Seattle FWC26, Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council, and several unions for Seattle Center's fan zone.

Seattle FWC26 helped fund the new Sodo Welcome Center, which aims to connect visitors with the neighborhood and its businesses, and the Chinese American Legacy Art Project, which will educate viewers about the 1886 expulsion of Chinese residents from Seattle with a public art installation.

Numerous art installations have immortalized the World Cup across the host city, including the "Vital Spirit" sculpture outside Lumen Field, two large murals next to Seattle Central Library and near Harbor Steps and an open-air gallery in Pioneer Square.

The monorail columns were decorated with the flags of World Cup participant nations and featured designs for Pride and Juneteenth and by a Puyallup Tribe artist and patients in Seattle Children's Hospital's therapeutic art program.

Celebrations for this World Cup will have a legacy that lasts years, said former U.S. Women's National Team player and Olympic gold medalist Michelle Akers at the news conference.

Akers, who played in three World Cups, said "it's just been magical" seeing people decked out for the tournament and even sporting merch from the 1994 games, the last time the U.S. hosted the Men's World Cup.

Editors' note: The story has been updated to clarify how the local organizing committee supported the new soccer fields.

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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 6:35 AM.