Economic activity from the World Cup resulted in $889 million for Seattle and King County, according to a new report from Visit Seattle, a nonprofit that promotes the city and county.
That total includes $109 million in state and local tax revenue, money that will benefit local government programs such as housing, social services and the arts. All of the revenue supported 20,000 jobs.
In a news release, Kelly Saling, the nonprofit’s chief business officer, said the results detailed in the report will drive tourism to the region for years to come.
“These numbers are a testament to the power of large events and the hospitality industry, and how both can work together to drive economic prosperity in our city and region,” she said.
The actual generated revenue split predictions released ahead of the matches. In December 2024, before they knew which teams would play in Seattle, the nonprofit’s leaders estimated that the tournament would bring $929 million. Following the lineup announcement for the city, Visit Seattle revised estimations to $846 million.
Visit Seattle data found that around 1.3 million visitors went to watch parties and to matches at Lumen Field.
Jorge Gotuzzo, the nonprofit’s World Cup activation lead, said 45% of those visitors came from outside of Seattle. A little more than one-third of visitors during that time stayed overnight.
“We were hoping for more international visitors,” he said. “We realized that the composition of overall attendees to the tournament was more local and domestic than international.”
Gotuzzo said that's likely because Seattle didn't host teams with large fan bases that are willing to travel.
"We didn't get the Argentinas of this world. We didn't get the Brazils of this world, which account for the largest fandoms and people traveling and hoping to see their teams," he said.
Media reports say other factors including political tensions, concerns over immigration status and the cost of flying and staying in the U.S. likely kept international travelers away.
The revenue generated by the World Cup is an immediate measure of success. Visit Seattle and other city officials continue to point to favorable reviews from national media outlets like The Athletic and Sports Illustrated.
All of this attention has Gotuzzo and city officials hoping that more people will return to the region.
“We showed that we could do it. We would do it again, 100%,” he said. “The exposure that the city received is hard to put a dollar amount to. Hopefully we have more events like this one coming in the future.”
With the FIFA Women’s World Cup scheduled for 2031, officials hope to bring some of the matches to Seattle and put their ambitions to the test.
