Bellevue outlines plan to host World Cup visitors, emphasizes transit activations and small-business outreach

City staff presented an information-only briefing Oct. 7 on Bellevue’s planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing station-area activations, business-support grants and public-safety coordination ahead of the tournament.

The presentation was led by Emile King, the city’s director of community development, and Liz Flores, cultural tourism specialist. King said the tournament is “unique in that there are three host countries” and stressed that Bellevue’s work focuses on welcoming visitors while limiting disruption for residents. Flores described planned programming around light rail stations, partnerships with Visit Bellevue and grants to support neighborhood events.

Why it matters: Seattle will host six matches at Lumen Field in June 2026 and regional planning is intended to spread visitor activity across King County and the Eastside. City staff said recent studies by Deloitte, Tourism Economics and CoStar show an updated estimate of roughly 145,000 additional visitors to King County during the tournament period, and staff projected a roughly $23 million direct economic impact to Bellevue from visitor spending at hotels, shops and restaurants.

Key elements of Bellevue’s approach include: - Station activations: programming at East Link stations (South Bellevue, Downtown, Spring District and BelRed) with music, cultural performances and themed walks meant to draw visitors into neighborhoods. - Business and community supports: Visit Bellevue will run marketing and a city web page will link to official tournament information, a calendar of events and business resources; regional grants will be available to support fan-zone-style events in multiple communities. - Events and outreach timeline: staff announced a public information session and a call for station activations on Oct. 22 to brief organizations about grants and partnerships; additional outreach will follow as teams and base-camp decisions are announced after the FIFA draw on Dec. 5. - Public-safety focus: staff said they will coordinate with Bellevue Police Department on training for businesses to recognize and respond to human-trafficking indicators, and work across departments on crowd, traffic and emergency-response planning. King noted the city will “work with PD to amplify these efforts ahead of the tournament.”

Council members pressed staff on several operational details. Councilmember Lee asked whether Bellevue would coordinate tourism materials to promote East King County destinations beyond the immediate light-rail corridor; King said Visit Bellevue will promote Bellevue as both a destination and a launch point for nearby attractions. Councilmember Hamilton asked what contingency plans exist if East Link revenue service is not operating before the World Cup; staff said they are in close communication with Sound Transit and will plan for expanded regional bus service and shuttle options if needed.

What remains uncertain: staff repeatedly noted that final planning depends on the Dec. 5 draw (which will determine which teams play in Seattle) and on where teams choose to locate “base camps,” both of which will affect visitor patterns and staffing needs.

Next steps: staff will host the Oct. 22 public session, continue coordination with regional partners including the Eastside Regional Tourism Council and Visit Bellevue, and return to council with updates as game schedules and grant details are finalized.