Fan says Seattle is best World Cup host city as crowds flood stadium before USA vs. Belgium
Jul 6, 2026, 4:16 PM | Updated: 4:48 pm
The men’s USA team is less than an hour away from taking on Belgium in Seattle for the World Cup.
KIRO Newsradio reporter Jillian Raftery was out in the madness that has taken over Pioneer Square and shared a firsthand experience with “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.
“It is beautiful,” she said. “I just talked to someone who flew in from Nashville and got here like two hours ago. They just got to King and Occidental; they cracked their first beer, they had a great time, and it’s beautiful.”
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Raftery said she spoke with a Belgian fan last week who road tripped around the country to different games and told her Seattle blows Los Angeles, especially, out of the water. She noted that Belgian fans have been friendly, blending in with the crowd by the stadium.
“Everybody’s being super friendly. One of the things that I’ve heard is that Seattle is the friendliest spot, especially between rival teams, but there are some Belgian fans; they’re camping out at Victory Hall, they’re having a big party there, and that’s been their headquarters this entire time,” she said.
USA fans excited for World Cup match
Meanwhile, USA fans are eager and feeling good ahead of the match.
“This is a soccer city at heart,” one fan told Raftery, “Let’s go USA.”
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Tickets are still available for resale on apps like Gametime, but are dwindling as kickoff approaches.
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3
