Good news for soccer fans heading to the Emerald City in 2026: Seattle has officially landed among the easiest FIFA World Cup host cities to navigate.
A new study from travel eSIM company Holafly ranked Seattle as the sixth easiest city to get around during the upcoming World Cup, thanks to its walkability, public transportation options, and relatively strong mobile connectivity.
For anyone who’s spent time downtown on foot, the ranking probably isn’t too surprising. Seattle earned a walkability score of 74, making it one of the more pedestrian-friendly cities in the tournament lineup. Nearly 6% of residents regularly walk to get where they need to go, and visitors will have plenty of ways to explore without relying entirely on a car.
Public transit played a big role in Seattle’s ranking. The city offers seven different public transit options, including Link Light Rail, buses, streetcars, the Seattle Center Monorail, and even Washington State Ferries. That means fans coming in for matches at Lumen Field should have an easier time moving between hotels, restaurants, neighborhoods, and the stadium itself.
Seattle also posted strong mobile download speeds, averaging around 251 Mbps. Visitors will find this helpful for navigating the city, uploading photos, and checking game schedules on the go.
Of course, Seattle traffic still made an appearance in the data. Average one-way commute times came in at just under 43 minutes, and parking availability ranked relatively low compared to other host cities. Still, the city scored well overall thanks to its balance of transit access and walkability.
The top five easiest World Cup cities to navigate were Houston, Monterrey, Vancouver, Mexico City, and Philadelphia, which narrowly edged out Seattle for the number five spot.
With World Cup crowds expected to flood the city this summer, Seattle’s pedestrian-friendly setup and public transit options will hopefully make it easy for visiting fans to get around the city and to the matches.
