With the World Cup partially taking place in Seattle, visitors give great reviews about the Seattle Seahawks stadium, Lumen Field. FIFA rebranded Lumen Field as Seattle Stadium for the World Cup, but visitors still see all of the Seahawks and Sounders design features as well. Everyone around the world gets to see the Seahawks banners hang.
The news comes at a great time with rumors that new Seahawks ownership could force the city of Seattle to build a new stadium. Stadium negotiations cause uneasy feelings for Seattle sports fans because of what happened with the Supersonics. However, hopefully these comments from visitors ease the concerns of others.
Originally Seahawks Stadium, Lumen Field opened in 2002 with dreams of hosting world cup matches. The state invested ~$19.4 million in renovations for the World Cup. After presenting several group stage matches, Seattle hosts two knockout stage games remaining.
Seattle Seahawks Stadium Lumen Field Adored by World Cup Fans
Fans from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Qatar, Iran, Egypt, Belgium, and Australia visited Seattle to enjoy their countries play in the World Cup.
After the match between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar, fans gave their comments to The Seattle Times regarding Lumen Field.
One Bosnia-Herzegovina fan, Tiana Ramic, gave her thoughts, “It looks vintage, and the city looks natural, bright. I like the colors.”
French journalist Baptiste Chaumier also respected how accessible Lumen Field is compared to other cities. He said that the atmosphere around the stadium reminds him of the area around Olympique de Marseille’s stadium, the team he covers.
He said, “You can go from Lumen Field walking and it’s great. You see the ocean when you walk. It’s amazing. For that, it’s pretty cool. But I was told the weather in Seattle is like Brittany in France, always rainy. I was here for two weeks and there was just one day of rain.”
Seattleites can empathize with those notions. Many people do not understand how beautiful Washington state is during the Summer. While there is plenty of rain in the other seasons, it is not as cumbersome as people imagine.
World Cup Fans Enjoying the Seattle Community As Well
Fans in Seattle have been welcoming to the World Cup visitors as they also celebrate occasions such as Seattle Pride.
Seattle is known as one of the more inclusive cities in the United States, and that continues during the World Cup. While there were fears about how some countries would react to Seattle Pride, overall the opposite appears to be true. The events seem to bring people together instead of causing a divide.
The Seattle Times notes that Ahmed Khalil, a fan of Qatar, embraced being among other cultures and seeing the pride flags as his group walked towards the stadium. He wore his nation’s garbs without any trouble.
Elena Bavleni, a fan from Zimbabwe rooting for Egypt, said, “It’s beautiful. In 2010, I was in South Africa for the World Cup and it feels the same. It’s a soccer match, so people are very friendly. It’s beautiful to see.”
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