Thurston County selected as one of nine fan zones in Washington for 2026 World Cup

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Thurston County has been chosen as one of nine locations across Washington to host fan zones during the 2026 World Cup.

As Seattle is one of the host cities for the world’s largest sporting event, the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 Local Organizing Committee (SeattleFWC26) partnered with communities outside of King County to create vibrant fan zones in order to ensure that as many Washingtonians are involved in the historic event as possible. 

Specific locations within each city will be announced ahead of the tournament, but Olympia/Lacey was listed as one of the nine fan zone locations.

“It’s very exciting for Thurston County to be able to play a small part in such a significant global event,” Tye Menser, Chair of the Thurston County Board of Commissioners, said in a news release. “The World Cup truly has a unique ability to unite people from diverse backgrounds, celebrating shared passions for the beautiful game. It’s a fantastic opportunity for Thurston County to embrace that global spirit and be involved in something that has an impact across the world.”

In addition to a Seattle fan celebration hosted at Seattle Center, fan zone locations include:

  • Bellingham - Whatcom County
  • Bremerton - Kitsap County
  • Everett - Snohomish County
  • Olympia/Lacey - Thurston County
  • Pasco/Richland/Kennewisk (Tri-Cities) - Benton & Franklin Counties
  • Spokane - Spokane County
  • Tacoma - Pierce County
  • Vancouver - Clark County
  • Yakima - Yakima County

Menser elaborated on the selection during the South Thurston Economic Development Initiative meeting at Red Wind Casino Friday, Jan. 17. He said that, out of the 11 host cities for the World Cup, Seattle is the only one that has assembled a non-profit organization to spread the economic impact throughout the region. Menser and Commissioner Carolina Mejia traveled to Seattle this week with representatives from the other nine fan zones to help launch the announcement.

“Olympia/Lacey and Thurston County was announced as one of the nine fan zones that are going to be sponsored and seen on TV with the big screens and the people hanging out and watching games,” Menser said. “This is the biggest sporting event in the history of the planet, maybe the biggest event of any kind in the history of the planet, and 750,000 people are conservatively projected to flow into Washington. We’re going to set up a local committee and do everything we can to try to spread that economic impact throughout our whole region and our county.”

Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder expressed his excitement for being a fan zone for the 2026 World Cup.

“We are excited to be a SeattleFWC26 fan zone. Lacey is a sports community with a heavy emphasis on soccer. There is no bigger event than the World Cup, so this will be a big happening for our community,” he said in a news release.