Story Highlights
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expects thousands of World Cup travelers between June 15 and July 6.
- Fewer flights are coming to Sea-Tac during the World Cup period compared to 2025.
- The Port of Seattle will open a renovated C Concourse with new retail before the tournament.
On banners hanging near the international arrivals facility, on Coca-Cola ads strung across the parking lot, and through miniature soccer balls given to fans, the message was clear.
The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is ready for the FIFA World Cup.
Port of Seattle officials are prepping for thousands of people to flow through the airport, en route to downtown Seattle to watch a slate of six matches over three weeks during the largest sporting event in the world. Seattle will host its first World Cup match, Belgium versus Egypt, on June 15.
“I’m really excited that we do see increased travelers,” Wendy Reiter, the managing director of Sea-Tac, said at a pre-World Cup event Wednesday. “Although this is our biggest time of the year for traveling, anyway.”
In recent months, however, revised forecasts have quelled some expectations for the World Cup boon.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association reported lower-than-expected hotel bookings in May, which followed an updated and scaled-back economic impact forecast from Visit Seattle.
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Similarly, fewer flights are coming to Sea-Tac between June 15 and July 6 in 2026 than there were in 2025, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
About 236 fewer flights are scheduled to fly into the airport during that period, about a 1.6% drop compared to last year.
For domestic flights, the drop is more pronounced. There are 223 fewer flights to Sea-Tac during that period than there were last year, a 1.7% drop according to Cirium.
The total number of international flights, however, is up year over year by 109.
Those changes are largely being driven by new routes offered by Alaska Airlines and Delta, which have both buffed up their international service out of Seattle over the past year. Eva Air, Icelandair, Asiana Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines and Finnair have all dropped some flights to Seattle.
“I’ve seen the forecast go down a little bit in the last couple of weeks,” Reiter said. “Obviously, it’s expensive to travel right now, with oil prices and ticket prices where they are. It doesn’t surprise you that people are opting out to travel, especially if you’re coming internationally.”
By the time those travelers do arrive, Sea-Tac will also welcome them to a new facility: the renovated C Concourse.
Officials plan to open the facility — which includes four new stories and new retail providers, such as a much-anticipated Chili’s — ahead of the tournament.
Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho also addressed concerns after a group of Chinese students was denied entry by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have too much jurisdiction over what happens in the international arrivals facility,” he said. “However, we have a relationship with CBP and the Department of Homeland Security, and our hope is that we can continue to work together to get as much intel and information as we possibly can ahead of any major occurrences or incidents.”