Projections say PO could see over 4K visitors during World Cup
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Port Orchard expects a surge in tourism during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, officials said at the Economic Development and Tourism Committee meeting July 14.
Early projections suggest Port Orchard could see more than 4,000 visitors during the event, generating an estimated $1.4 million or more in local spending.
“These are ChatGPT’s best guesses. We won’t know ‘til next year but we have to start wrapping our heads around what are some projected numbers and what we could potentially be seeing,” city public information officer Josh Johnson said.
“It’s estimated that about 750,000 visitors will be visiting Seattle in June and July in 2026 for the FIFA World Cup on top of the normal summer visitor season,” he added.
Kitsap County is expected to capture up to 10% of those visitors, or between 52,500 and 75,000 people.
Port Orchard’s share is based on population and ferry access. Given Port Orchard’s population share of the county and also its position within the ferry system Port Orchard will capture 6% of those, Johnson said. That means 3,200 to 4,500 visitors.
Johnson added that the projections used Port Orchard and Kitsap County tourism data from 2022 and 2023, compared against FIFA estimates. “Within that projection framework it was giving us a split of about two-thirds day trippers and one-third overnight guests,” he said.
Using data from Airbnb, lodging patterns, and typical visitor spending, Johnson asked ChatGPT for a breakdown of what that might mean financially.
“We anticipate lodging, whether it’s Airbnb, bed and breakfast, or hotels, to bump up as far as demand goes, as far as a per night basis. So it gave us numbers here between $500 to $1,500 a night for lodging and other expenses between $200 to $450,” he continued. “It was giving us a conservative average of about $1,200 per guest, assuming that this guest, whether they are out of country or state, stays between two to three nights with us.”
Day trippers also would contribute significantly, Johnson said, estimating individual spending between $50 and $150 for ferry fare, meals, shopping and recreation. It projected a combined visitor spending in Port Orchard for June–July of 2026 for day trippers $146,000 to $219,000 and overnight visitors $1.26 million for a total of $1.4 million, Johnson said.
The six matches at Seattle’s Lumen Field, which will be renamed “Seattle Stadium” for the tournament, are scheduled for:
Monday, June 15; Friday, June 19 (featuring the U.S. Men’s National Team); Wednesday, June 24; Friday, June 26; Wednesday, July 1; and Monday, July 6. Exact opponents for Seattle’s matches other than the U.S. game are pending the official World Cup draw, scheduled for December, Johnson said.
Johnson emphasized that the World Cup could offer long-term benefits for Port Orchard’s brand identity. “It’s not just about June and July. It’s about what this is going to mean for us longer term and how we can use this as a catalyst for our community identity,” he said.
Johnson said the city is working from three strategic pillars: destination and brand identity, marketing strategy, and events and programs. “I think we all know that Port Orchard kind of needs to clarify and strengthen our brand identity as a community and as a tourism destination,” Johnson said. “A lot of folks don’t really see us as a tourism destination. “
Part of the marketing strategy includes presenting Port Orchard as a ferry-connected “Seattle neighborhood.”
“Part of the Bremerton fanzone marketing position strategy is that we are a Seattle neighborhood but we’re not a part of King County,” Johnson said. “But to an international guest who won’t bat an eye at taking a thirty- to forty-minute ferry ride, we are a subset of this Seattle metro area to them.”
The city will also explore paid social media, digital ads, landing pages and microsites to boost visibility. Other ideas include marketing materials at the Port of Seattle and QR-code integration for real-time updates.
“The last pillar is events and experiences, and this is really: what are we going to do in Port Orchard as far as this two-week, three-week period,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Mayor Rob Putaansuu recently met with the Port Orchard Waterfront Alliance to discuss coordinating event planning with potential Bay Street construction.
“If the construction window does fall in 2026 on this FIFA period and we have a span of Bay Street closed, how can we utilize this as a win for Bay Street businesses in the community, whether that’s through a Bay Street Bash or Bay Street block party,” he said.
“The great thing about the schedule starting June 15 and working its way through July 6, is it falls on some of our most iconic successful community events: night markets, Fourth of July, Fathoms, farmers markets,” Johnson said. “Then we’re going to be able to be a force multiplier for things like Bridge Blast.”
Johnson also proposed a “Port Orchard passport” to encourage local business visits, along with temporary and permanent public art installations downtown. “There are some blank pieces of concrete downtown,” he said.
“How can we turn this into something that is welcoming, creates a strong sense of identity, creates a strong sense of place for our guests and after FIFA has come and gone, will be a sense of place and civic pride for the people that live and work here.”
