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Local shops prepare for historic USMNT crowds
Local businesses in Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International District are fully stocking their shelves to handle record-breaking crowds ahead of Monday night's historic U.S. Men's National Team quarterfinal match against Belgium.
SEATTLE - Local businesses in Pioneer Square are bracing for a massive influx of soccer fans as the U.S. Men's National Team prepares to face Belgium on Monday night.
The local organizing committee expects crowds to meet or exceed previous turnouts, potentially bringing historic revenue to neighborhood establishments.
Learning from past surges
Dacha "Kim" Pathumratanathan, owner of Super Kim's, is among the neighborhood business owners preparing for the wave of soccer fans. His shop, located a short walk from Seattle Stadium, faced severe supply shortages the last time the national team played in the city.
During that previous match, Pathumratanathan had to close his doors early after completely running out of beer, liquor, and food staples like Pad Thai, crab fried rice, and clam chowder.
"It's huge," Pathumratanathan said. "Everyone is prepared to watch the game for the USA."
With days to go before kickoff, local business owners say they have learned their lesson. Super Kim's is fully stocked ahead of the match, and Pathumratanathan remains confident about the upcoming Monday rush.
"It's huge, but we can handle it," Pathumratanathan said. "We can handle it."
World Cup fans flood the International District/Chinatown light rail station. (Sound Transit)
Breaking attendance records
The upcoming match follows unprecedented tournament turnout across the city. Peter Tomozawa, the CEO of the local organizing committee, Seattle FWC26, noted that soccer events have consistently outperformed expectations.
"We had 85,000 people at the Waterfront, the previous record was 50,000, and we're really kind of breaking records all over the place," Tomozawa said.
Organizers expect the match against Belgium to draw a similarly historic crowd, providing an immediate economic boost to the stadium's surrounding areas.
Expanding economic impact
Organizing officials hope the heavy foot traffic will extend beyond Pioneer Square and benefit other nearby neighborhoods, such as the Chinatown-International District. Advocates in that area note that local businesses have previously felt left out of the economic windfalls of major stadium events.
Seattle's Chinatown-International District seeks World Cup foot traffic
Business owners and community advocates in Seattle’s CID have seen a sharp drop in sales during the World Cup, and they say persistent public safety issues are keeping international soccer fans away.
To help guide visitors, the organizing committee plans to deploy volunteers equipped with directional signs to steer football fans toward local businesses in neighboring districts.
"They're going to be more active in trying to get people to go to the CID," Tomozawa said.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Dan Griffin.