Spokane organizations are preparing to potentially host a national soccer team and large public events tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, offering businesses an opportunity to benefit from one of the world’s largest sporting events despite the absence of tournament matches in the city.

FIFA, the international soccer governing body, has designated Spokane and Gonzaga University as a potential team base camp site in which a national team could train and prepare for matches during the tournament’s group stage, while Northern Quest Resort & Casino has been selected as the host hotel.

National teams competing in the tournament have already chosen which host cities they will stay in; FIFA will announce the winning cities in March, says Rob Kavon, Gonzaga University associate athletic director and facility and event director. 

The World Cup, jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, will feature 48 men’s soccer teams competing in 104 matches across North America in June and July. Seattle’s Lumen Field will host early matches with teams from the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Iran, and Qatar.

Spokane also has been selected as an official fan zone, allowing for the city, Visit Spokane, and Spokane Sports to host large watch parties at the Gesa Pavilion in Riverfront Park.

To prepare for an expected large influx of visitors and gatherings, Washington state lawmakers passed a law in April 2025 to expand alcohol service options to support restaurants and other businesses during the World Cup festivities, says Alex Scott, Spokane's city administrator.

House Bill 1515 allows cities and counties in Washington to establish outdoor alcohol consumption areas, or “libation zones,” which can also be used for events and activities not associated to the World Cup. The law sunsets on Dec. 31, 2027.

“There are some new pieces, but a lot of it was kind of going back to how they ran things during COVID when restaurants had a lot more flexibility to do outdoor service,” Scott says. “What we are envisioning is obviously, people can kind of take this and run with it and propose a lot of different things, and if it works, we’ll do it.”

Currently, the city of Spokane is working to develop a new local licensing process in collaboration with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board and designate the city to allow temporary expanded alcohol areas, Scott says. If the city reaches an agreement with the board, businesses will be able to apply for a permit. Scott says he expects to finalize an agreement soon.

“In the right circumstances, you might be able to put seating out in your sidewalk, or create a beer garden in your parking lot, or those sorts of things, and just create more of a festival dynamic,” Scott says.

Additionally, the legislation is focused on making libation zones family-friendly, Scott says. With prior approval, there will be opportunities to create family-friendly areas where adults can enjoy an alcoholic beverage without leaving their families, he says. 

Fox Sports will air the games in English, Scott says, allowing any bar or restaurant with a Fox television package to show matches there. Fox Sports will air 70 FIFA World Cup games on network television, more than double the matches aired in 2022, according to a press release from Fox Corp. 

The Gesa Pavilion in Riverfront Park is the city's official fan zone. -Visit Spokane

To recognize the statewide significance of hosting the tournament, the Seattle FIFA World Cup 26 organizing committee is partnering with the city of Spokane and eight other locations across Washington state to host fan zones.

Together, city officials, Visit Spokane, and Spokane Sports are working to coordinate public viewing events. Riverfront Park and the Pavilion have been selected as an official fan zone site, says Kate Hudson, Visit Spokane public relations director.

Visit Spokane is taking on marketing efforts, while Spokane Sports is handling logistics and event planning. So far, two official fan zone parties are scheduled for June 19 and July 19, Hudson says.

“We’re hoping to have a lot of the community come out and have a fun summer of soccer,” Hudson says. “We’re hoping all our local businesses will participate as well. Places like Brick West (Brewing Co.) and No-Li (Brewhouse) are hosting their own watch parties during the summer of soccer. We’re hoping it will be a fun community-wide event.”

Keytra Lewis, associate vice president of Spokane Sports, says the nonprofit economic development organization is planning to launch a campaign dubbed "Summer of Soccer," which will include a toolkit for downtown Spokane businesses to decorate their establishments and take part in the city's World Cup celebrations. The organization produced a similar campaign last year during the Women's NCAA March Madness games, which included banners, coasters, and other celebratory decorations.

"The goal is to activate all of downtown," says Lewis.

Gonzaga University’s Luger Field will be an official team training site if a team selects Spokane as its base camp. Renovations to the field are expected to begin in April and will include fraze mowing — a specialized turf renovation technique that uses a rotary machine to strip the top 1- to 2-inches of soil — regrading, and laying new sod down on the playing surface, all under the supervision of FIFA groundskeepers to make sure it’s ready to go for the players, says Kavon. 

A national team can arrive up to two weeks before its first match, he says, adding that a World Cup soccer team consists of 26 players.

“It’s great for the city of Spokane and for the soccer fans in Spokane to have this soccer team here and just be included in the FIFA 2026 World Cup,” Kavon says. “And for Gonzaga, it’s reputationally great. It’s great for our soccer teams and great for the university as a whole.”

Although the tournament is only about a month long, Scott says he and city leaders are hoping to make the most of this opportunity to generate a lasting impact. City leaders are planning to get youth involved, get more kids interested in the sport, and, for those who already play, celebrate their interest and share in their excitement, he says.

“It’s rare for the largest sporting tournament in the world to come this close to our backyard,” Scott says. “It’s been really exciting to see folks across the community roll up their sleeves and say, 'Let’s make this something that is more than two months in the summer. Let’s make it something that really reverberates.'”