SEATTLE, WASH. – As the globe’s biggest sporting event arrives this summer, Seattle isn’t just preparing to host, it’s redefining what it means to welcome the world.
In partnership with RAVE Foundation and Friends of Waterfront Park, Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC today announced Seattle Soccer Celebration powered by Lenovo – an iconic, floating festival of football, culture and community set against the backdrop of Elliott Bay at Waterfront Park’s Pier 62. Anchored by a one-of-a-kind floating soccer pitch, the initiative represents a bold, generational vision for how sport can shape a city’s identity, elevate its global standing and leave a lasting legacy.
“This is a defining moment for our city and our clubs. Seattle Soccer Celebration is more than a fan experience, it’s a global expression of who we are and what we believe sport can do,” said Hugh Weber, President of Business Operations for Seattle’s professional soccer clubs. “By bringing the world’s game onto Elliott Bay, we’re creating something never seen before while delivering on a promise to our community. This is Seattle showing how a city, a waterfront and two clubs can come together to build something that resonates far beyond the tournament.”
As the presenting partner of Seattle Soccer Celebration and the Official Technology Partner of FIFA World Cup 2026™, Lenovo technology is elevating the fan experience locally and across the globe. Many of the same tech solutions that will power all 104 matches of the tournament will be on display at the floating barge at Elliott Bay, along with interactive and immersive experiences for visitors.
“Lenovo’s products and solutions are revolutionizing how fans will experience the game this summer, in stadiums across all 16 host cities and for the billions watching around the world,” said Milo Speranzo, Chief Marketing Officer, Lenovo North America. “Seattle Soccer Celebration is a unique activation that unites local residents with global visitors, making it the perfect stage to demonstrate how technology can bring communities together through a shared passion of sports and culture.”
This eye-catching soccer hub on the waters of Puget Sound was made possible by Friends of Waterfront Park, a nonprofit steward and programming partner that curates hundreds of free public events, cultural programs and community experiences each year across Seattle’s waterfront. Seattle Soccer Celebration reflects the organization’s broader mission to ensure the waterfront serves as a welcoming, vibrant civic space where Seattle gathers during defining cultural moments.
“Waterfront Park was designed to bring people together during the moments that define a city, and this summer Seattle will welcome the world to its front porch,” said Joy Shigaki, President and CEO of Friends of Waterfront Park. “Seattle Soccer Celebration transforms Pier 62 into a place where community, culture and global connection meet on the shoreline. We’re proud to partner with Seattle’s soccer clubs and RAVE Foundation to create an experience that could only happen here.”
A FLOATING EXPRESSION OF SEATTLE’S SOCCER AUTHENTICITY
Located off of Pier 62 within Waterfront Park – the 20-acre civic waterfront reconnected to downtown Seattle through decades of public investment and community vision – Seattle Soccer Celebration transforms the shoreline into a global gathering place during one of the most significant moments in the city’s modern history.
At the heart of Seattle Soccer Celebration is a custom-built soccer pitch constructed atop a maritime vessel, a striking visual and experiential centerpiece that brings the world’s game directly to the water’s edge. This is a place where matches, storytelling, culture and community converge in a way only Seattle can deliver.
Rooted in the region’s deep maritime history and modern industrial spirit, the experience blends Seattle’s working waterfront heritage with forward-looking innovation, creating a symbolic and immersive platform.
52 FIELDS, COUNTLESS LIVES CHANGED
The centerpiece of this announcement and its enduring legacy is the culmination of RAVE Foundation’s 52 Fields initiative, one of the most ambitious community sport efforts in North America.
In the lead-up to 2026, RAVE committed to building 52 free mini-pitches in underserved communities across Washington State. The floating pitch at Seattle Soccer Celebration serves as the symbolic 52nd field – a powerful, visible fulfillment of that promise.
“The 52 Fields initiative is about creating access, joy and opportunity for every child, in every community. To see that journey culminate in a symbolic 52nd field on the water, in front of the world, is incredibly powerful,” said Ashley Fosberg, Chief Impact & Fan Engagement Officer for Sounders FC and Reign FC. “This is a celebration of every young person and every neighborhood that made this possible, and a reminder that the true legacy of this moment in the summer of 2026 lives in our community.”
Each field represents more than a place to play. It represents access, equity and opportunity, touching tens of thousands of young people through free play, programming and community engagement.
This moment brings those stories together in a living narrative of impact that extends far beyond the tournament itself.
Alongside RAVE’s mission to bring free play to communities across the Evergreen State, Friends of Waterfront Park announced that Waterfront Park is serving as one of Seattle’s official free FIFA World Cup 2026™ fan celebration sites – further establishing the waterfront as a central gathering place for residents and visitors throughout the tournament.
DUAL-CLUB GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
Seattle’s approach to a pivotal summer of 2026 is unique: two world-class clubs, competing at the highest levels of MLS and NWSL, operating in alignment. This dual-club model creates a competitive advantage not just on the pitch, but across culture, community and business – amplifying reach, accelerating innovation and reinforcing Seattle’s position as a global soccer leader.
Together, Sounders FC and Reign FC are demonstrating how sport can serve as a catalyst for generational transformation, elevating not only fan experience, but also civic identity, cultural storytelling and long-term community investment.
Seattle has long punched above its weight, and Seattle Soccer Celebration powered by Lenovo is the latest example. With one of the most passionate fanbases in North America, a history of record-breaking attendance and a deeply embedded soccer culture, the city has established itself as a true authority in the sport.
Now, with the world watching, Seattle is scaling that influence globally, demonstrating how the Pacific Northwest can lead through creativity, authenticity and purpose.
A PLATFORM FOR CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION
Throughout the tournament, Seattle Soccer Celebration powered by Lenovo will serve as a dynamic, floating hub surrounding the world’s biggest sporting event, with events on Pier 62 free and open to the public, as well as live viewings of FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches, global tournament programming, community and youth soccer activations, in addition to cultural events, entertainment and storytelling experiences.
The iconic floating barge itself is a premium ticketed and private rental space for partner collaborations and immersive brand experiences, with major companies like Edward Jones presenting the VIP areas of the barge, along with Starbucks planning to support event activations. Other blue-chip partners will be announced ahead of this summer’s tournament.
Analog Heart is the creative studio leading the design and building of Seattle Soccer Celebration, with Rally Events & Hospitality leading operational efforts.
With projected attendance in the hundreds of thousands across these unique waterfront spaces, the activation is designed to be both accessible and unforgettable, a place where fans, families, creators and global visitors come together to experience the game in a uniquely Seattle way.
A MOMENT THAT TRAVELS
From its dramatic arrival on Elliott Bay to its role as a storytelling engine for Seattle’s soccer legacy, Seattle Soccer Celebration powered by Lenovo is built to resonate beyond the shores of Puget Sound.
It’s designed to be seen, shared and remembered.
A defining image of the 2026 tournament and a lasting symbol of what Seattle built when the world came to town.
Seattle is not just hosting the world. The Emerald City is showing what’s possible when sport, culture and community move together.
ABOUT SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Born in 1974 and a member of Major League Soccer since 2009, Seattle Sounders FC is one of North America’s leading professional soccer organizations. The club has captured nine major trophies since its inaugural MLS season, and following its Leagues Cup victory in 2025, Seattle became the first team in U.S. soccer history to win every major competition (Concacaf Champions Cup, MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup). Since the club's MLS debut, Sounders fans have set the standard for soccer support in North America, leading the league in attendance for eight-consecutive seasons (2009-2016), routinely ranking in the global top 30 among all professional clubs and never finishing outside of MLS’ top three.
ABOUT SEATTLE REIGN FC
Seattle Reign FC was established in 2012 as a founding member of the National Women’s Soccer League. The NWSL is widely considered to be the most competitive women’s professional soccer league in the world. Since the inaugural season in 2013, the club captured the NWSL Shield three times, while making three appearances in the NWSL Championship and eight appearances in the NWSL postseason. Reign FC plays its home matches at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington and trains at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.
ABOUT RAVE FOUNDATION
RAVE Foundation, the official charitable arm of Seattle Sounders FC and Reign FC, is a 501 (c) (3) public charity which was founded in 2013 to serve the greater Puget Sound community, with the mission of building small fields for free play and invest in programs that use soccer as a vehicle to inspire youth and strengthen communities.
RAVE Foundation has three core strategies including using soccer as a vehicle to empower and inspire, to remove barriers to participation on and off the field and to support, catalyze and strengthen communities. By building small fields, the RAVE Foundation provides a place for kids to play freely, be physically active and safe, and to be inclusive stakeholders in their communities.
ABOUT WATERFRONT PARK
Waterfront Park is Seattle’s 20-acre civic shoreline park, stretching from Belltown to Pioneer Square and reconnecting the city to its waterfront after the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Owned by the City of Seattle and stewarded through a public-private partnership, Waterfront Park is brought to life by Friends of Waterfront Park, the nonprofit responsible for programming, park experience, community partnerships, and cultural activations, while Seattle Center leads operations, maintenance and public safety. Together, the partnership ensures the park remains vibrant, welcoming and accessible to all through free events, public spaces and year-round programming that reflects Seattle’s diverse communities and creativity. Visit www.waterfrontpark.org for upcoming events and activities.
ABOUT RALLY EVENTS & HOSPITALITY
Rally Events & Hospitality is Seattle's integrated venue, event and hospitality operator. Founded in 2024, Rally combines venue management, event production, food and beverage and experiential marketing under one team – managing every detail from the space to the guest experience.
Rally owns and operates Rooftop at RailSpur in Pioneer Square and Studio Forma in South Lake Union, with Doris – a new restaurant and lounge in Pioneer Square – opening in 2026. The company produces events ranging from private corporate gatherings to large-scale public activations. The team brings deep experience across Seattle's leading restaurants, nonprofits, catering operations and live events – with leadership that includes 25 years of building some of the city's most recognized hospitality institutions.
ABOUT ANALOG HEART
Analog Heart builds high-impact physical experiences for brands, venues and organizations. We are a multidisciplinary, theatrically driven design+build studio rooted in experiential and entertainment design. We work collaboratively with our clients to define a creative vision and pursue it relentlessly. Through creative problem-solving and strategic design, we transform visions into reality. We are deeply committed to client success, strong project leadership, and a trusted, collaborative process. We are dreamers, makers, and doers, highly trusted by our clients and partners.
