FIFA Club World Cup kickoff in Seattle clouded by fears of ICE, border patrol presence
The Brief
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's involvement in FIFA Club World Cup security has sparked fear among fans about increased immigration enforcement.
Washington officials, including Governor Ferguson, have expressed concerns over federal communication and emphasized no local coordination with immigration enforcement.
Ticket sales for the Seattle match are low, with prices dropping amid rumors of enforcement presence, though the impact on sales remains unclear.
SEATTLE, Wash. - What should be a festive kickoff to the FIFA Club World Cup in Seattle this Sunday has instead sparked fear and uncertainty among some fans after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) suggested on social media it would be involved in security at Club World Cup matches.
The Seattle Sounders will face Brazil's Botafogo in a high-stakes match at Lumen Field on Sunday, marking one of the biggest games in the tournament. Seattle, considered the underdog, will host the match as the city prepares for a broader role in the global soccer spotlight ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup.
But for some fans, the excitement is being overshadowed by rumors and social media posts suggesting increased immigration enforcement presence at matches — not just in Seattle, but across the country.
Earlier this week, CBP shared a now-deleted post on its official channels stating, "Let the games begin – the first FIFA Club World Cup games starts on June 14 in Miami. CBP will be suited and booted ready to provide security for the first round of games." The post has since been taken down but is still being circulated by outlets such as FOX Sports 940 AM in Miami.
According to FOX's affiliate in Florida, FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed CBP agents would be working alongside Miami-Dade Sheriff's deputies to provide security for the matches in Florida.
Concerns grew further after reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents advised non-citizens to bring proof of legal status to the matches. While that advisory appears specific to Miami, the uncertainty has reached fans in Seattle as well.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson addressed those concerns saying, "I'm not getting communication from the federal government about what they're doing. I want to be very clear about that," Ferguson said. "But we, of course, are very focused on the days ahead of us and being sure we're doing everything we can to ensure the President does not take any legal action here in Washington."
The office of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell also responded, acknowledging awareness of the rumors. A spokesperson said the city has been in contact with Gov. Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown. The office emphasized that Seattle does not coordinate or assist federal agencies in immigration enforcement.
Ticket sales have also become a topic of conversation. Sunday's match tickets are available for as low as $35. In comparison, a ticket to see Paris Saint-Germain — featuring some of the most well-known players in international soccer — costs around $117 – compared to $350 a year ago.
While it's unclear whether the enforcement rumors are affecting sales, sports analyst Nico Moreno of Pulso Sports said the drop in demand isn't surprising.
"I really thought a couple months back that it would be beyond that," Moreno said. "But when I'm hearing that there's basically a fire sale on tickets, that people are getting free tickets if they bought the 300 level — people are being brought down from 300 levels down — it makes me feel like it's going to be a Portland vs. Sounders atmosphere."
In a statement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said, "U.S. Customs and Border Protection is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the FIFA Club World Cup 26™ is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the Super Bowl. Our mission remains unchanged."
Security concerns aren't unprecedented. During the 2023 Copa América final, hundreds of fans breached Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, an incident attributed to a lack of security personnel.
FOX 13 Seattle reached out to Lumen Field for comment but has not yet received a response.
Seattle is set to host six matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Sunday's match is being seen as an early test of how the city handles international sporting events — both on and off the pitch.
The Source
Information in this story came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and FOX 13 News.
Seattle traffic to be impacted from upcoming protests
Authorities shift tactics in search for WA triple murder suspect Travis Decker
Manhunt for Travis Decker moves to WA's Kittitas County
Anti-Trump 'NO KINGS' protests planned for Seattle this weekend
Seattle police disperse 'ICE OUT' protesters after fire breaks out downtown
Everything you need to know about Seattle Pride Parade 2025
Things to do for Father's Day in Seattle
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
Protest Is Underrated
The first thing to know is that it was all basically willed into being — not by 'paid protesters' or the Mexican government or socialists or union leaders, but by Stephen Miller, the architect of President Trump's xenophobic immigration plan and his deputy chief of staff. In a May meeting at ICE headquarters, Miller reportedly demanded that field agents forget about targeting only those undocumented immigrants with criminal records and instead stage purposefully cruel, attention-getting sweeps in places like the parking lot of a Home Depot. That is precisely where, last Friday, those raids began. The second thing to know is that the unrest was really quite limited: a roughly five-block stretch downtown, in a city of nearly four million people spread over almost 500 square miles; several driverless Waymo robot taxis, lined up on one street and set ablaze. There was some more serious violence, too: some journalists were shot with rubber bullets and other less-lethal munitions, a few cop cars were pelted with rocks, and at least one was set on fire, but no serious law-enforcement injuries were reported. But this was not 1965, with widespread arson and 34 deaths, or 1992, with disorder spreading through whole neighborhoods and more than 60 people killed. None of that means that what began last Friday in Los Angeles — a series of spectacular ICE raids, a direct-action response to block them, large-scale peaceful protests punctuated in places by bursts of familiar violence — is insignificant. To the contrary: Hundreds of migrants and protesters have been arrested over the last week, with many of the raids conducted by ICE officers in the now-familiar uniform of masked anonymity. The National Guard was mobilized over the objection of California's governor, Gavin Newsom, and without the support of the Los Angeles Police Department's leadership, with hundreds of Marines on active duty mobilized to join them in a rare deployment of military personnel to a site of domestic unrest. On Tuesday, Trump disparaged Los Angeles as a 'trash heap' in an incendiary speech that was met with horrifying applause from assembled loyalists in the Army, and on Thursday, Senator Alex Padilla was hauled out of a local news conference being held by the secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem. When the senator was wrestled to the floor, the secretary had just declared 'we are not going away,' but would instead stay in L.A. to 'liberate the city' from 'socialists' and its democratically elected local government. The political scientists I spoke to throughout the week used phrases like 'competitive authoritarianism,' 'acute democratic backsliding' and 'autocratic power grab.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist killed in I-526 crash, police say
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A motorcyclist is dead following a Saturday morning crash on the interstate. The North Charleston Police Department's traffic unit responded to a crash around 2:15 a.m. Officials said the motorcyclist was found on the I-526 eastbound ramp to I-26 westbound. The victim's name has not yet been publicly released. The department and Charleston County Coroner's Office are investigating. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
33 minutes ago
- Associated Press
This Date in Baseball - Astros are the first team to throw two immaculate innings in the same game
June 15 1902 — Corsicana defeated Texarkana 51-3 in a Texas League game. Nig Clark of Corsicana took advantage of the small park and hit eight homers. Some telegraph operators, thinking there was a mistake, reported the score as 5-3. 1925 — The Philadelphia Athletics went into the last half of the eighth inning trailing 15-4 and scored 13 runs to defeat Cleveland 17-15. 1938 — Four days after pitching a no-hitter against the Boston Braves, Johnny Vander Meer of the Cincinnati Reds pitched his second straight no-hit game, defeating the Dodgers 6-0 in the first night game played in Brooklyn. 1952 — The St. Louis Cardinals, down 11-0 entering the fifth inning, came back for a 14-12 triumph over the New York Giants in the first game of a doubleheader and set a National League record for best comeback. 1963 — San Francisco's Juan Marichal pitched a no-hitter against the Houston Colts for a 1-0 victory, the first Giants no-hitter since Carl Hubbell's in 1929. 1976 — The Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros were 'rained in' at the Houston Astrodome as 10 inches of rain fell on the city. Only members of both teams were able to make it to the stadium. Umpires, fans and stadium personnel were unable to make it through the water. 1980 — Cleveland Indian Jorge Orta collected six hits, a double and five singles, and scored four times in a 14-5 triumph over the Minnesota Twins. Toby Harrah had seven RBIs. 1992 — Jeff Reardon broke Rollie Fingers' career save mark of 341 when he preserved a 1-0 victory for the Boston Red Sox with one scoreless inning against the New York Yankees. 2002 — A double in the fifth inning of Texas' 4-0 loss to Houston gave Rafael Palmeiro 1,000 career extra-base hits. He became the 25th major leaguer to reach that mark. 2016 — Miami's Ichiro Suzuki raised his career total in the Japanese and North American major leagues to 4,257, passing Pete Rose's record Major League Baseball total. Suzuki had two hits for the Marlins in a 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres, Suzuki had 1,278 hits for Orix in Japan's Pacific League (1992-00) and has 2,979 with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Marlins. His first hit Wednesday was on a dribbler in the first. His second was a double into the right-field corner in the ninth. 2016 — Atlanta's Freddie Freeman hit for the cycle in a 9-8, 13-inning win over Cincinnati. 2018 — The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the staggering New York Mets 7-3. The freefalling Mets dropped four consecutive, 12 of 13 and 19 of 23. After starting the season 11-1, the Mets (28-38) went from 10 games over .500 to 10 games under earlier than any team in major league history. The previous mark was held by the 2011 Marlins, who did it in their 76th game. 2020 — The impasse over the resumption of the MLB season gets deeper, as CommissionerRob Manfred now states that there may not be a season at all. It was expected that he would decree a 50-game season, as allowed by the March 26th agreement between the MLBPA and owners, but he is now reluctant to do so. 2022 — The Astros are the first team to throw two immaculate innings in the same game, as Luis Garcia strikes out the side on nine pitches in the 2nd, and Phil Maton repeats the feat in the 7th. In both cases the three batters for the Rangers are the same: Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller. Garcia and Maton are respectively the 8th and 9th pitchers to accomplish the feat for Houston. _____
