It was clearly a Sounders game day at E-Jae Pak Mor, a popular Thai eatery across the street from the International District/Chinatown light rail station. The space hummed with a crowd of people dressed in green and blue, slurping noodles and chewing on pak mor, fluffy, steamed, rice-flour dumplings with pork or veggie filling.
Pum Yamamoto, the co-owner of the shop, said she’s preparing for the crowds expected in the area between June 15 and July 6, during the six FIFA games to be held at Lumen Field. An estimated 750,000 people could travel into town for the event. Yamamoto said she’ll staff up, order more food, and set up a table for mango sticky rice and chicken wing grab-and-gos. She’s purchasing a food warmer and signage that highlights her FIFA season offerings “We don't know if the crowds will come or not, but this is business. We have to be prepared,” said Yamamoto.
Seattle is one of 16 North American host cities, along with San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, and more. The tournament opens on June 11 in Mexico City, while the first FIFA game in Seattle will be June 15. The World Cup final will take place at New York New Jersey Stadium July 19.
Ticket sales, which opened in October, are not performing well, according to some reports. As of the time of publication, ticket prices for the U.S. - Australia game in Seattle on June 15 ranged from $1,060 to $6,575.
Events this size involve a lot of logistical coordination. King County Metro started their Waterfront Shuttle bus service between the C-ID and the Space Needle on May 21, and the Seattle Department of Transportation has installed new wayfinding signage throughout the neighborhood and downtown, along with new lighting on priority corridors.
Denise Moriguchi, Uwajimaya’s president, CEO, and third-generation family member, said they’re in discussions with the City about the use of their properties for temporary bathrooms during the event. From Seattle Parks and Recreation adding several temporary commodes in Hing Hay Park to Seattle Public Utilities adding a dozen more street trash cans and coordination of clean-crew teams, the City and community are busy preparing for FIFA visitors.
C-ID groups are used to working together in a time of need. The neighborhood’s business improvement association, CIDBIA, and the housing and community organization, SCIDPDA, helped neighborhood shops access grants and projects, together with Friends of Little Saigon, during the pandemic.
Two years ago, the coalition began meeting with Seattle FIFA World Cup ‘26 local organizing committee (LOC), a nonprofit organization who says they’re separate from FIFA, which was created to coordinate with local jurisdictions and neighborhoods to help the tournament run smoothly. FIFA LOC helped secure funds to hire a neighborhood liaison to work with city departments to gather information, which will be translated into Chinese and Vietnamese languages for neighborhood businesses.
But a business relief team still needs to fundraise. “Translation is costly,” said An Huynh, SCIDPDA director of community development, whose org houses the neighborhood liaison. “We’ve done our own fundraising and grant writing to not only pay for the translations, but storefront improvements like replacing broken windows, adding new lights, and sprucing things up.“ Additional collected funds have gone toward preparedness training for potential ICE interactions.
Meanwhile, Protect Our Pitch 206, a coalition of organizations including the Massage Workers Organizing Project, Real Change, 350 Seattle, and Puget Sound Sage, and others, are critical of Seattle’s FIFA events. Ratcha Danh, C-ID organizer at Puget Sound Sage, said, “We want folks to figure out what's being paid to who and who's benefiting [from FIFA coming here].” Danh continued, “When it comes to the workers in the shops or the auntie that lives in the building, we're hearing about a lack of information streaming to them. FIFA should invest more in our community to inform people.”
Protect our Pitch 206 is also critical of surveillance and the potential for increased law enforcement during the festivities, which they say could mean harsher treatment of vulnerable populations like massage parlor workers and unhoused people. But some business owners welcome law enforcement, after hearing potential customers say they stay away from the neighborhood due to safety concerns.
Seattle Police Department Capt. Dan Nelson wrote in a statement to the Emerald that SPD plans to have “several additional officers in the CID area during the tournament.” They may also lean on law enforcement from other jurisdictions to help. ICE also announced they’ll be present at the FIFA tournament, saying they’ll focus on cracking down on counterfeit goods and human trafficking.
The neighborhood's CIDBIA rolled out its own safety ambassador program last summer, making three people available from 2-10 p.m. to respond to calls from businesses.
On FIFA match days, there will be an information booth on the plaza above the International District/Chinatown light rail station, where staff can answer visitor questions and help guide people to resources in the neighborhood. Tuyen Thanh, the CIDBIA executive director, and her crew, have worked to entice people to shop in the neighborhood. They produced a business directory with 250 listings, which will be placed at ferry terminals, the airport, and other locations. They also created a “Kick it in the CID” stamp book, featuring dozens of eateries and shops with special promotions.
On June 18, CIDBIA and the Wing Luke Museum will partner for a C-ID Summer Kickoff event, a combination of the annual Block Party and The Wing Luke Museum’s Jamfest. It’ll feature music, vendors, and other programming. They’re also hosting the “You Win Some You Dim Sum” event, to try to beat the Guinness World Record for “largest dim sum (yum cha) dinner.” On top of that, the neighborhood will also host several FIFA watch parties.
Hai Trang, who co-owns Baegopa, a Korean restaurant with all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue, a-la-carte dishes, and FIFA season grab-and-go chicken wings and savory pancakes, said his family lost money preparing for the 2023 MLB All Star Game. Still, there’s hope for a different result with the FIFA tournament.
Trang said soccer brings in more customers than other sports. Baegopa has drinks, TV screens to watch games, and they’re open late. “The Business Association,” Trang said, “has been doing a lot to promote businesses for the last couple of years. We’re more ready this time.”
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