The Most Interesting Base for Seattle’s World Cup Games Is Across the Lake in Bellevue
- Mirra Team
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
by NICKOLAUS HINES
The 2026 FIFA World Cup brings six matches to Lumen Field between June 15 and July 6, including a USA-Australia group stage opener that will turn Lumen Field into one of the loudest stadiums on the continent. Hotel rates downtown are climbing. Pioneer Square will absorb the crowds before and after kickoff. The real question for visiting fans isn’t where the games are, it’s what to do for the rest of the trip.
Bellevue makes a case. The Eastside city sits across Lake Washington from Seattle, with a walkable downtown, a Lake Washington shoreline, more than 100 parks, and a new direct light rail line that drops you about a 10-minute walk from Lumen Field’s gates.
What to do before and after kickoff
“Start your morning with Bellevue’s café culture — this region is known for its coffee, and downtown offers everything from craft roasters to relaxed neighborhood cafés,” says Brad Jones, executive director of Visit Bellevue. “From there, walk to Bellevue Downtown Park and Meydenbauer Bay Park where you’ll find wide open green space framed by skyline views, a perfect place to ease into the day alongside fellow fans or a mid-morning kayak with views back toward Seattle.”
The Bellevue Collection — 200-plus stores, more than 50 restaurants — is the main draw to keep the theme on soccer, though, with World Cup activations and a Bellevue Baller beer at Bellevue Brewing’s Spring District taproom.
Watch parties worth crossing the bridge for
If you don’t have match tickets, Bellevue is positioning itself as a place to feel the World Cup energy without the stadium. The Bellevue Collection will be the center of a lot of the action with an interactive large screen, photo booths, and augmented reality, says Jennifer Leavitt, SVP of marketing The Bellevue Collection.
The most ambitious watch-party setup in The Bellevue Collection is at Mirra, a virtual reality gameplay arena on the third floor of Lincoln Square South. Mirra normally runs as a 10,700-square-foot social entertainment venue with floor-to-ceiling 8K LED screens, in-house-developed VR party games, a full bar, and a globally inspired menu of bao buns, birria quesadillas, and corn ribs. For the World Cup, the staff are converting the panoramic screens into wraparound match broadcasts.
Seattle may be the focus for seeing the game in person, but Bellevue gets the rest of the day — the lake, the food, the walk back to a hotel that isn’t surrounded by 65,000 people trying to get into the same Uber.
If you go
Lumen Field matches: Six between June 15 and July 6 — four group stage, one Round of 32 (July 1), one Round of 16 (July 6).
The train: 2 Line, Bellevue Downtown Station to International District/Chinatown Station, less than 20 minutes. Walk south to Lumen Field. Service runs until about 1 AM.
From Sea-Tac: Either 1 Line to 2 Line via ID/Chinatown or the Bellevue Airport Shuttle.
Where to stay: Bellevue’s downtown hotel inventory clusters around the 2 Line. The Westin Bellevue, Hyatt Regency Bellevue, and W Bellevue all sit within walking distance of Bellevue Downtown Station — walk to train, train to walk, walk to stadium.
Book early: Hotel occupancy in Bellevue for June and July is currently projected at 83 to 88 percent, per Visit Bellevue communications manager Anna Yan.
Worth tracking: Visit Bellevue’s “stay and play” fan package — which bundles shopping credits, transportation perks, and other incentives at participating hotels — plus the Bellevue Baller beer at Bellevue Brewing’s Spring District taproom and match-day station activations.
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