It is a massive year for soccer in the Evergreen State.
FIFA World Cup 2026 is coming to Seattle in June. The USWNT is scheduled to face Japan in an international friendly at Lumen Field on April 14. The Sounders will look to earn their second Leagues Cup trophy in August at the very same place they won it all in 2025.
The passionate fandom and unrivaled energy that come with soccer will extend far beyond the Emerald City, with all parts of the state having exciting opportunities to engage with the highest levels of the sport.
On March 18, the Rave Green will head to Spokane to continue their run in one of the biggest tournaments in North America: The Concacaf Champions Cup. The following week, Reign FC will play the first of a three-game homestand in the Lilac City, bringing some of the biggest names in the world of women’s soccer.
“It's going to be really fun,” said Washington native Snyder Brunell.
Following a dominant 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps in Leg 1 of the CCC Round of 16 on March 12, the Sounders will face their Cascadia Rivals in Leg 2 at ONE Spokane Stadium to determine who advances to the Quarterfinals of the continental tournament.
“The fans on the East side of the state deserve to get to watch a Sounders game up close and in person,” said Brunell. “So I feel really, really grateful to be playing over there, to represent Seattle, Washington, and to overall, give an enjoyable experience to the fans that are [in the area].”
Both the Sounders and Reign FC are hosting home matches in Spokane due to Lumen Field undergoing renovations in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup.
Sounders General Manager, Chief Soccer Officer and former resident of Spokane Craig Waibel views this as a positive, granting more soccer exposure in the state and providing those who live in the east of the Cascades to experience everything the two teams have to offer.
“I think it's wonderful to expose both men's and women's professional soccer to the city of Spokane and give every young child their right to identify the way they want to with the game,” he said. “I don't think there's anything greater we can do as an organization than that.”
The city already boasts a strong soccer culture, anchored by USL League One’s Spokane Velocity FC and USL Super League’s Spokane Zephyr FC. That culture has long been ingrained in Spokane, shaping Waibel’s own soccer journey from childhood through early adulthood.
Soccer in Spokane
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“I was actually part of the Spokane All-star team that played against the A-league Sounders back in ‘94 and then I played summer soccer there when I was in college with the Spokane Shadow,” said Waibel. “So it's had a huge impact on building me as a player and as a person, and the people I was able to work with over the summers, interning with [Spokane Shadow] and learning how they ran the franchise and how to build fan bases and things like that.
[It] sparked my interest, not only just in the playing side, but also on the business side of the game.”
The vision is for the Sounders and Reign to have that same influence as they look to not only elevate the local soccer scene, but to inspire the next generation of players and youth to believe in themselves and in something bigger.
“I hope they can take away anything's possible, no matter where you're from, whatever you're doing,” said Brunell. “If you're consistent, you can make it to wherever you want to go, as long as you put in the work.
“But overall, just be able to spend time with their families, watching the game, and just really taking this very unique experience that maybe it doesn't happen that often.”
