<p>FIFA has announced that the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/seattle-sounders-tv-schedule/">Seattle Sounders</a> will have somewhat of a home-field advantage at Lumen Field for the 2025 Club World Cup. The <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">Major League Soccer</a> side previously qualified for the controversial tournament by winning the 2022 <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/concacaf-champions-league-tv-schedule/">CONCACAF Champions Cup</a>. Seattle is currently the only American team to book a place in the competition, but this is expected to soon change.</p>



<p>Three other CONCACAF clubs, all from Mexico, will also feature at the upcoming Club World Cup as well. Monterrey, Leon, and Pachuca all qualified thanks to similar Champions Cup triumphs as Seattle. Nevertheless, as hosts, the United States has another club at the tournament. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/inter-miami-tv-schedule/">Inter Miami</a> is likely the final American team, but FIFA has not confirmed the move yet.</p>



<h2>Sounders will play all of their Club World Cup group games at Lumen Field</h2>



<p>As the current marquee American club in the competition, FIFA has rewarded  Seattle with multiple home games. The governing body announced on Tuesday that all three of the club’s group-stage matches will be at Lumen Field. Seattle could then also play again at their home arena if they progress to the knockout stage. </p>



<p>“Six games of the FIFA Club World Cup will take place in this stadium, and the three games of the group stage of the Seattle Sounders will take place here,” <a href="https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/club-world-cup/usa-2025/articles/seattle-lumen-field-host-six-games" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proclaimed</a> FIFA president Gianni Infantino while posing inside Lumen Field.</p>



<p>“So, we want to hear some noise, and the World Cup [noise record] being broken in this stadium by the Seattle Sounders fans during the FIFA Club World Cup next year.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20241015_WST_535259_Lumen-Field-USA-1200x675_8a64fe7e.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-535272" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Lumen-Field-USA-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Lumen-Field-USA-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Lumen-Field-USA-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Lumen-Field-USA-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Lumen-Field-USA.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>Seattle regularly features near the top of the annual MLS attendance figures. The Sounders averaged the third-most fans in stands among all teams in the division in each of the last two seasons. Lumen Field has a general max capacity of just under 38,000 fans during MLS matches. The arena, however, can accommodate up to 72,000 people in the stands for other events.</p>



<p>Seattle’s stadium currently features artificial turf. Natural grass inside the arena was not possible due to the city’s frequent rain totals. Officials believed that real grass would suffer because of the weather conditions. Despite this, FIFA generally forces venues to install real grass for their competitions.</p>



<h2>FIFA is forcing host stadiums to change their names for the tournament</h2>



<p>There will be 63 total matches in the expanded 2025 Club World Cup. The tournament is happening across 11 different American venues. Assuming all, or at least a vast majority of the games, will split evenly between the 11 stadiums, Seattle receiving six fixtures is slightly above average. It remains unclear which arenas will host fewer matches.</p>



<p>Lumen Field is hosting six total games. The arena will go by a different name for the duration of the competition. FIFA is forcing the 2026 World Cup <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/world-cup-2026-stadiums-to-use-new-names-per-fifa-rules/">host stadiums to change their names</a>. For instance, Lumen Field will be simply “Seattle Stadium.”</p>



<p>FIFA’s decision to temporarily rename host stadiums ultimately comes down to sponsorship issues. The governing body has strict rules over branding and will only allow official FIFA sponsors at the competition.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

FIFA reveals plan for Club World Cup at Seattle's Lumen Field

FIFA has announced that the Seattle Sounders will have somewhat of a home-field advantage at Lumen Field for the 2025 Club World Cup.


<p>The Seattle Sounders are debuting a new training facility in 2024, and they may get a new stadium, too. The Sounders’ <a href="https://www.soundersfc.com/longacres/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">training facility in Longacres</a> opens next year. The club claims it will be among the best soccer training facilities in North America. There will be a total of four pitches for the team to practice on. Two of those are natural grass, and two of those are artificial grass like Lumen Field, the club’s current home.</p>



<p>However, the club’s president did not shy away from the possibility of expanding this training facility even further. Team president Hugh Weber spoke to <em><a href="https://www.sounderatheart.com/2023/09/sounders-exploring-possibility-of-building-stadium-in-renton/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sounder at Heart</a></em> about the new training facility that opens in 2024. He says Lumen Field is a great venue. For example, it is one of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/06/16/2026-world-cup-cities-reveal-live-thread/">host venues for the 2026 World Cup</a>. Still, having a soccer-specific stadium is the ideal situation for any Major League Soccer club. </p>



<p>“Lumen Field has been a great home, but having a soccer-centric stadium is always the dream of any premier MLS club,” Weber said. “It’s always something we’re contemplating and thinking about. There’s definitely room on the site. There’s a lot of exploration that has to happen in terms of is it even a thing our fanbase would consider a positive? I’d be remiss and not honest if I said we weren’t thinking about it and how we can solve for it.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Future Home of Seattle Sounders FC" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A9o0U5sUS2I?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<h2>Seattle Sounders dream of new soccer-specific stadium</h2>



<p>Longacres is 13 miles south of Lumen Field. This would be a stark contrast to the Sounders’ current home, which is effectively in downtown Seattle. Lumen Field also has a sensational atmosphere, a trait consistent across Seattle professional sports. Yet, as Weber says, soccer-specific stadiums are all the rage. </p>



<p>Only seven clubs in <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">Major League Soccer</a> do not use a soccer-specific stadium. However, four of those seven, including Lumen Field, make up the four biggest stadiums in MLS based on capacity. The average capacity of the 22 soccer-specific stadiums is 22,140. Yet, Sounders supporters could look at GEODIS Park as inspiration, which has a capacity of 30,000 Nashville SC fans.</p>



<p>If the Sounders’ new area to the south becomes a stadium project, the club would have ample land to build one of the most popular venues in Major League Soccer.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire</em></p>


Seattle Sounders explore idea of new stadium in suburbs

The Seattle Sounders are debuting a new training facility in 2024, and they may get a new stadium in the same area.

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FIFA reveals plan for Club World Cup at Seattle's Lumen Field

Leagues: MLS

Seattle Sounders explore idea of new stadium in suburbs