Soccer’s most coveted prize made a stop in the Pacific Northwest this week.
Teams from around the world will compete for the original FIFA World Cup trophy this summer. That trophy was on display in Seattle on Monday at Victory Hall at The Boxyard, near Lumen Field — renamed Seattle Stadium for the duration of the games — where six matches will be played.
The 14-inch-tall statue made of 18-karat solid gold rotated on a platform behind glass, while fans took selfies and photos of it.
Luciano Fasani went to see the trophy with his family, who all wore Argentina jerseys. Fasani is superstitious: In 2022, when Argentina played France in the World Cup final, he put a photo of a player from the French team in his freezer; he said it was called "freezing out" a player. Argentina won. Fasani plans to do that sort of thing again this year.
"Any superstition that we can latch onto, we will, and ride that as far as it takes us,” Fasani said. “Anything that worked — take that and go with it."
The World Cup trophy is on a tour of North America. Before arriving in Washington state, it stopped in Portland, Oregon, last week. After its showing in Seattle, the trophy went to the Bellevue Square Mall before crossing the northern U.S. border to Vancouver, British Columbia.
The World Cup is coming to town in June, and we want to hear from you. How are you preparing? Share your story at outreach@knkk.org.
World Cup 101
- This year’s World Cup is hosted by three countries in North America: Mexico, America and Canada. North of Seattle, Vancouver, British Columbia, will host seven matches kicking off on June 13 between Australia and Turkey. Seattle will host six matches, beginning on June 15 between Belgium and Egypt.
- Sound Transit will increase service on its Link light rail trains and Sounder Service trains on game days.The transit agency’s T Line in Tacoma will run later for night games.
- There will be official watch parties along the “Unity Loop,” which includes Seattle Center, Waterfront Park, Pacific Place, and Victory Hall in SODO.
- The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is hosting cultural events during the tournament, including a Pow-wow.
- New public art is appearing throughout downtown Seattle ahead of the games. There’s an app that takes you on a tour of the city and offers chances to win prizes.
- The City of Seattle has guidelines and requirements for people who want to host their own World Cup events.
