Seattle spent nearly $32 million hosting six World Cup games. Experts question how much money the city will be able to recoup.
SEATTLE — The World Cup is just weeks away from arriving in Seattle, and the city is already paying the price for hosting it.
Seattle spent nearly $32 million this summer preparing for six games at Lumen Field. The money is used to cover public costs related to security, transportation, cleanup, emergency planning and other city services needed to handle World Cup-sized crowds.
The event is expected to bring global attention and tourists to the city. But some experts say the key question is not just how much money is coming to the district, but who actually gets it and how much is returned to taxpayers.
“Most estimates suggest that just from a city perspective, it’s going to be $100 to $200 million per city,” said Dr. Natalie Welch, director of Seattle University’s MBA in Sports and Entertainment program.
Welch said host cities must consider costs that go well beyond what is incurred inside the stadium, including police, fire, transportation, extra buses, extra trains and the basic public infrastructure surrounding major international events.
Meanwhile, FIFA’s 2026 budget shows the organization is expected to bring in nearly $9 billion in revenue, including $3.9 billion in television rights, $3 billion in hospitality and ticket sales and $1.8 billion in marketing rights.
“FIFA gets all the sponsorship, they get all the revenue from ticket sales,” Welch said. “As a city, we don’t have that direct source of revenue.”
That’s why Welch said big crowds don’t automatically equal big returns for taxpayers.
Economic impacts could include visitor spending at hotels, restaurants and other businesses. But Welch said the money doesn’t necessarily go directly back to the city, which pays for public services.
“Even hotels and restaurants, right, are not necessarily coming back to the city,” Welch said. “Going to the Hilton.”
Welch said cities must also consider opportunity costs: how normal business might be disrupted, whether local customers would avoid the area and what projects could be funded with public money.
“A lot of times these economic impact reports talk about all this money coming into the city,” Welch said. “But you also have to consider, there’s always an opportunity cost. What are you giving up?”
This could include regulars staying away from the city center due to traffic, street closures or safety zones. It may also include small businesses near the activity’s footprint that may not benefit if normal operations are disrupted.
KING 5 has reached out to the mayor’s office, city budget office and governor’s office to ask about the bottom line number: How much money can Seattle and the state expect to recoup, after all expenses, reimbursements and tax revenue are factored in? KING 5 is still waiting for their response.
“I hope people back home just ask questions of their local governments and local leaders,” Welch said. “You say so much, but where does this benefit actually show up?”
The World Cup could put Seattle on the global stage. Welch said the public still deserves to know how much this phase will cost and whether the rewards will be worth it.
“Thirty, forty, fifty million dollars is a lot of money,” Welch said. “How can this be better leveraged from a citizen perspective?”
