The shape of FIFA World Cup 2026 is beginning to emerge, and Federal Way business owners are already strategizing on how their piece of the puzzle will help complete the region’s vision.

Federal Way business owners met April 22 at the Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce to discuss how to prepare for and capitalize on the world soccer competition in the summer of 2026.

From June 11 to July 19, 2026, the Seattle area will be filled with international and domestic visitors along with the buzz of soccer fans as the region hosts six games for the FIFA World Cup.

Seattle is one of 11 host cities in the United States, with two additional games hosted in Canada and three games in Mexico.

Designated fan zones and base camps for international teams will be spread across the metro region and the state — and Federal Way will be right in the middle of it all.

Attendees at the task force meeting included a diverse array of business types such as hair salon owners, financial institution representatives, a gym owner, a representative from South King Fire and several members of the Federal Way Arts Commission, among others.

Conversation ranged from how to navigate expected impacts to how to capitalize on the opportunity to make Federal Way known to a global audience.

The Chamber will focus on three categories: livability of the city, a visitation guide and a FIFA specific handbook, and a task force.

Guests to the area will need places to stay, food to eat, and activities to spend their time on when not watching the games.

Rebecca Martin, CEO of the Federal Way Chamber, said that while watching the games in person is an obvious draw, the limited capacity of the stadium means that many will be watching it in a dispersed way.

“It won’t just be people going to the game. There’ll be people around wanting to find places to watch the games, to go do things related, or go to the fan zones,” Martin said.

Fan zones are places that the larger organization is coordinating for people to watch the games who didn’t score coveted in-person tickets.

“There are a lot of things in between that I think you can take advantage of because of our unique strategic location,” Martin said. “We have easy access to all this stuff, but you don’t have to deal with the crowd, because you can take the Federal Way and have everything you need right here.”

She encouraged guests and all business owners in Federal Way to think creatively about how to tap into the energy of the event.

“This is so big. There’s so much for everybody to do. Everybody has some excitement to it, and there’s a passion about sharing what we have,” Martin said. “Here’s the thing, the world’s attention is going to be in this area…the Pacific Northwest. We want the world’s attention to have a little glance over here at what we’re doing.”

Martin said that people who visit the area for the first time could be those who might want to move to or invest in Federal Way someday in the future, reminding the guests that often “your first touch with an investment decision maker for business attraction or expansion comes through leisure.”

Kristin Speakman of Bella Red Salon said the conversation was already expanding how she was thinking about business strategies related to FIFA 2026.

“I came here thinking, OK, how are we gonna serve all these people? How can we benefit from that?” Speakman said. Instead of just focusing on guests to the area, she said it clicked for her that “from an events perspective, it will not just serve the people that are coming from out of town. It’ll get the people out of their house to come feel a part of it that maybe aren’t going to the game, so our locals as well.”

Martin laid out three main strategies for businesses to prepare for the international event.

First, she encouraged businesses to understand the event demographics and “partner with organizers and align their marketing efforts with official event messaging.”

Next, businesses can prepare for business impacts from increased traffic like aligning business hours with event schedules and ensuring that their staff is ready to serve an international audience.

Lastly, businesses can think about how they can enhance their customer experience through the event with strategies like creating special promotions and ensuring smooth access to amenities like wifi and mobile ordering.

While hospitality businesses like hotels are the most obvious and direct impact, Martin emphasized that the event will have opportunities and impacts for everyone involved.

Certain details are beginning to take shape, but the teams that will be playing in Seattle have not yet been announced. Keeping an eye on this news as it is announced can help business owners prepare, Martin said, as they can see how to celebrate and accommodate the countries that will ultimately be represented in our region.