Ready for Kick Off? Washington Prepares to Welcome the Beautiful Game in 2026

Editor’s note: Cities may now apply to the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) for hosting libation zones during the World Cup^TM. See the Association of Washington Cities website for more information.

The Seattle Sounders have just won the Leagues Cup, the Seattle Reign are currently ranked as a top five team in the National Women’s Soccer League, and one look at the soccer fields around your city is proof that youth soccer is booming in Washington State. Our state will now add one more feather to our soccer cap: the highest level of the beautiful game—the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026^TM—is arriving in the City of Seattle in June 2026.

While Seattle is the only host city in the state for live games, a number of other cities throughout the state have been designated to hold official World Cup^TM Fan Zones and some will serve as base camps for the various national soccer teams. The purpose of this blog is to highlight ways cities throughout the state can prepare to host the influx of tourists expected to visit the state for the world’s most popular sporting event.

Fan Zones

I attended the Men’s World Cup^TM in Germany in 2006, and Fan Zones throughout various cities were a big draw for soccer fans who couldn’t secure match tickets. The Fan Zones were designated areas, where people could watch the live match on a huge screen, while enjoying food, drink, and camaraderie.

Allowing for lively gathering spaces to spend time with soccer fans became easier in Washington State with the passage of HB 1515 which permits expanded alcohol service in designated outdoor public spaces for liquor licensees (“libation zones”).

HB 1515 and What It Means for Your City

While the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board (LCB) is currently undergoing rulemaking to flesh out the details of the libation zones, the gist of the law is as follows: three groups can take part in allowing these expanded libation zones. For ease of reference, I have identified these as Group A, Group B, and Group C.

Group A consists of all cities, towns, counties, and ports. Local governments in Group A can request from the LCB expanded outdoor alcohol service in public spaces be allowed for liquor licensees in their jurisdiction, i.e., establish libation zones.

Group B consists of cities with a population of more than 220,000 with a city-owned civic campus (i.e., a city center used for civic, arts, cultural, sports and other community events). Only Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma meet this population threshold.

Group B cities can request expanded outdoor and indoor alcohol service in public spaces be allowed for liquor licensees operating during events on the publicly owned civic campus. Once the request is approved, multiple licensees can sell alcohol within the designated area of the civic campus (indoor and outdoor). The licensees may operate without a permit from their local jurisdiction that may otherwise be required to allow the business to use the public space as an alcohol service area.

Group C consist of cities that have been designated as official Fan Zones by FIFA: These are Bellingham, Bremerton, Everett, Olympia/Lacey, the Tri-Cities, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Yakima. Also included in Group C is Seattle, the host city. The benefit of being identified as an official Fan Zone has obvious draws, as they are officially sanctioned by FIFA and will receive support from SeattleFWC26 (Seattle FIFA World Cup 26^TM Local Organizing Committee) and FOX 13 Seattle (a broadcast partner of the World Cup).

Group C cities can request that expanded outdoor and indoor alcohol service in public spaces be allowed for liquor licensees operating in the Fan Zone. Similar to Group B cities, multiple licensees can sell alcohol within the Fan Zone and licensees may operate without any local permit.

All groups that receive approval for expanded alcohol service must:

• Provide adequate local resources (e.g. law enforcement) to ensure safe operations of activities and safety of the community;
• Provide services to keep the area clean and free of litter; and
• Conduct public engagement review with community members and local organizations to gain an understanding of the community’s experience, including if there was adequate law enforcement patrols and litter removal, and the overall costs and benefits. The report is due to the LCB by September 1, 2026.

Group B cities must provide to the legislature and the LCB a description of the activities conducted, the benefits realized, and the challenges encountered. This report is due by January 1, 2027.

Although LCB rulemaking is still under development, local governments can already start applying for libation zone approval. The applications fees and required application information is detailed in LCB’s August 27, 2025, Policy Statement on implementation of HB 1515 (see pages 6-7 of Policy Statement for fees and application requirements). The LCB has a new webpage on Expanded Alcohol Services and an informative PowerPoint slide deck on implementation of HB 1515.

The law will sunset on December 31, 2027.

Resources to Help Your City Prepare for World Cup 2026^TM

SeattleFWC26 is the hub for not only Seattle events but also any official Fan Zone events or community watch parties in other jurisdictions. The Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce has partnered with SeattleFWC26 and King County to provide resources to small businesses. The resources can be found on the World Cup Ready website, and include toolkits, webinars, and grants. While the grants are only available to businesses and organizations in King County cities, the toolkits and webinars are free for businesses and cities throughout the state and can help your city prepare for tourists exploring the state during the World Cup^TM.

Local governments that haven’t been identified as official Fan Zone may also be interested in offering community watch parties. To do so, a watch party license must be secured from FIFA. While FIFA has public viewing regulations available, the Seattle Sports Commission will be releasing a more readable Watch Party Playbook soon. The playbook will be available on World Cup Ready website.

Security is likely top of mind for many cities hosting large World Cup^TM-related events. WATech (part of the state Office of Privacy and Date Protection) is hosting Preparing for FIFA World Cup 2026 on October 16 from 1–2:00 PM to provide an overview of the state’s preparedness planning, with a special emphasis on cybersecurity considerations and best practices to safeguard critical infrastructure.

FIFA Trademarks

However your local government decides to market World Cup^TM-related events, be mindful of FIFA’s restrictions on use of World Cup^TM logos, taglines, and terminology. Are you wondering why there is a TM next to each mention of the World Cup^TM in this blog? It stands for “trademark” and is required by FIFA when certain terminology is used.

While FIFA severely restricts any use of logos, it does allow certain terminology (like FIFA World Cup 26^TM) to be used editorially, so long as the trademark symbol is used. However, it prohibits use of most World Cup^TM-related terminology in headlines, URLs, marketing, ads, hashtags, or anything commercial, and suggests use of generic terms instead (like the Beautiful Game or Soccer’s Biggest Stage). SeattleFWC26 prepared a quick overview of restricted logos and trademarked logos, taglines, and terminology. Readers can also review the FIFA Intellectual Property Guidelines for more information on restrictions.

Conclusion

The FIFA World Cup 2026^TM will be an event for the ages. Prepare your jurisdiction early for the excitement and beautiful chaos that comes along with such a huge sporting event.