Soccer fans set Waterfront Park attendance record amid Seattle’s World Cup festivities
Jun 24, 2026, 9:16 AM | Updated: 10:25 am
A photo of FIFA World Cup fans watching a game at Seattle's Waterfront Park. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation)
(Photo courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation)
Seattleites and soccer fans across the globe have shown up in droves at several of the city’s FIFA World Cup watch parties, including a record-breaking crowd at Seattle’s Waterfront Park.
On June 19, Waterfront Park hosted 84,767 visitors, breaking its previous record by nearly 30,000 when roughly 57,000 people attended the park’s ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2025, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) announced.
“We love seeing our parks filled with community and connection for the shared love of the beautiful games happening in our city,” SPR stated.
Ballard also welcomed more than 800 fans at Ballard Commons Park to cheer on their respective teams in the World Cup at one of the city’s many watch parties.
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Another gathering is set up at Lake Union Park on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to watch Team USA take on Turkey in their final match of the group stage before moving on to the knockout rounds.
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World Cup festivities mark a milestone for the recently completed waterfront park
In September 2025, Seattle celebrated the official completion of Waterfront Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Pier 58 and a nearly daylong grand opening celebration.
The celebration included more than 60 performances and activations across Pier 58, Pier 62, the Overlook Walk, and the 17-block Park Promenade.
“Seattle’s central waterfront is a vibrant public park with lush gardens, open spaces, and elevated views of Elliott Bay,” the City of Seattle stated. “After more than a decade of public input, the Seattle waterfront is a 20-acre park and lively mixing ground that embraces our working waterfront while restoring the health of the nearshore environment.”
Seattle’s Waterfront Park was designed to be environmentally friendly, with the park’s plantings filtering rainwater, improving water quality, and helping salmon survive through their annual journey across the shoreline. The park features free public programming and events such as live music, performances, festivals, and the recent week-long World Cup celebration.
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