The Stadium with No Name: Our Amazing (and Hilariously Censored) World Cup Experience in Seattle!

We are still buzzing from an absolutely unforgettable matchday. We had the absolute privilege of heading into the heart of downtown Seattle to witness Belgium vs. Senegal in the Group Stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

I must admit that FIFA organizes things very very well and it was so much fun experience end to end. Walking through all passages and gates was a piece of cake but let’s talk about the actual stadium!

🤫 Welcome to [REDACTED] Field!

If you are a Seattle local, you know this stadium as Lumen Field. But if you walked within a mile of the venue on matchday, you might think the word “Lumen” was a cursed word from a fantasy novel.

Because of FIFA’s incredibly strict “Clean Stadium” policy, no non-FIFA sponsor branding is allowed to be visible anywhere near or inside the venues. Since Lumen isn’t an official World Cup partner, their name had to be completely scrubbed, taped over, or renamed to “Seattle Stadium” for the duration of the tournament.

Flawless Organization and World-Class Vibes

Sponsorship quirks aside, we have to give major props to the organizers. Getting tens of thousands of fans into a downtown stadium could easily be a nightmare, but the transit and entry lines moved like a well-oiled machine.

From the second we arrived, the energy was off the charts. Of course I had to get a beer in my souvenir World Cup glass…and it was only $20 for a can of beer! What a deal!

• The Perfect View: Once we got to our seats, the view of the pitch framed by the Seattle skyline and the open roof was breathtaking. We grabbed our official World Cup souvenir cups (featuring the tournament’s official sponsors) and watched the stadium fill up.

The Ceremony: There is nothing quite like the pre-match ceremony. Seeing the massive flags of Belgium and Senegal unrolled across the pristine grass, surrounded by a roaring crowd, gave us absolute goosebumps.

Senegal Brought the Magic

It was a tough game to say the least. Things got a little and you have to love that everywhere in the stadium is a great seat especially when you have the great Pixel 10 XL phone to take pictures!

The game itself was a masterclass in global soccer culture. I must admit the crowd was strongly supportive of Senegal compared to Belgium. But it was definitely a slice of the entire world from people from everywhere and it was so much fun being part of it.

We Have a Runner!

Of course we had the highlight of runners getting onto the field and this might have been the first time it’s ever been performed at the World Cup in the United States!

I do have to admit we’re starting to get disappointed and saying that Belgium was going to get creamed in this one. But at the end the excitement grew and what an exciting ending to be part of.

and of course the final winning goal from Belgium at the end!

Yes, you can tell how excited we all were with this goal 🙂