WA: Seattle’s World Cup duties draw $8M in federal transportation money

Seattle will get $8.4 million in federal funding to help the city's public transit systems survive the strain of hundreds of thousands of visitors expected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer.

The money — part of a $100 million Federal Transit Administration expenditure — will help expand transit service to meet the increased demand.

It's unclear which local agencies will get the money, and how much, but it will be distributed by the Puget Sound Regional Council, the local agency that already awards about $300 million in yearly federal funding through a competitive grant process. The PSRC is waiting to learn more, from a webinar next week, about how it can dole out the money. It must determine the amount of funds local agencies will get by June.

The money is part of the $1.2 trillion spending package passed by Congress last month, which averted a government shutdown but held back funding for homeland security while lawmakers continue to debate immigration enforcement restrictions.

The funds must be used to reimburse transit agencies for costs related to increasing service to matches or other World Cup-related events, but it can be used for a variety of purposes, including planning for the event; hiring more people such as vehicle operators, mechanics, dispatchers, customer service and security personnel; and things like wayfinding improvements, security equipment or leasing extra vehicles.

Eleven U.S. cities are hosting matches during June and July: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, the New York area, Philadelphia, Seattle, the San Francisco area and Kansas City, Mo. Each city got a cut of the expenditure based on stadium capacity and number of games there. The funding ranged between Seattle's $8.4 million, the least, to $10.4 million for New York, the most.

Toronto and Vancouver in Canada are also host cities for the North American tournament, as are Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey in Mexico.

Between 400,000 and 750,000 people are expected to come to Seattle during the city's six games, but recent headlines have dimmed the prospects for a fully celebratory slate of events across the continent, including the growing war in the Middle East begun by U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran, the assassination of a notorious cartel leader by the Mexican government, and the blunt description of a brutal reality" by the Canadian prime minister that suggested the U.S. was creating a world where "the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.

King County Metro has a $4 billion annual budget and gave more than 85 million rides in 2024. Sound Transit operates the regional light rail system and Sounder commuter rail, among other services, and gave more than 50 million rides in 2025.

Amtrak, charter buses and courtesy shuttles connected to specific businesses or institutions aren't eligible for reimbursement. Services with premium fares to and from World Cup events, or that cater only to World Cup fans and aren't open to the general public, are also not eligible.

The money must be spent on World Cup-related expenses incurred through July. No local match is required for agencies to receive the federal funding.

© 2026 The Seattle Times.
Visit www.seattletimes.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.