Ever since the 2026 MLS schedule was released, it has been known that the Seattle Sounders wouldn’t be able to play their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 home match at Lumen Field due to renovations ahead of the 2026 Men’s World Cup. On Wednesday, they announced that match against the winner of Vancouver Whitecaps-CS Cartaginés will be played at ONE Spokane Stadium on March 18.
More unexpectedly, the Seattle Reign will also play a smal number of regular season home games at the downtown stadium, which normally is the home of USL League One side Spokane Velocity and USL Super League team Spokane Zephyr. Equalizer Soccer reports that the first three Reign home games will be affected. The full NWSL regular season schedule will be released on Thursday, which will provide more clarity on the dates and opponents for the Reign games being played there.
“We’re incredibly excited to host the Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC here in the Lilac City,” Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said in a statement. “Spokane is a true soccer city, and welcoming Concacaf competition and other visiting teams is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate our passionate fans and showcase the energy and enthusiasm for the sport across our community.”
The Sounders had previously reached an agreement to host a Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal match in Spokane last year, but they failed to advance past Cruz Azul. These matches will mark the first time the Sounders or Reign have played competitive home matches outside of the Puget Sound region while also serving as the highest-level soccer matches to ever be played in Eastern Washington.
The Sounders have primarily used Tukwila’s Starfire Stadium as an alternate venue over the years. While the Sounders have been able to obtain waivers in order to use Starfire for U.S. Open Cup matches, it is not a FIFA-approved venue which left it out of consideration for this match. The Sounders also apparently explored the possibility of playing at T-Mobile Park (unavailable) and Husky Stadium (also not FIFA approved). That left ONE Spokane as the best option outside the immediate vicinity of Seattle.
While ONE Spokane Stadium only fits about 5,200 fans even after including standing room, it was built with significant upgrades that include suites, hospitality spaces, pitch-side seating, locker rooms and press facilities that passed FIFA’s muster. There is also a sizable contingent of Sounders fans east of the Cascades and ECS even has subgroup called Dry Side Supporters.
“As someone who grew up in Spokane, I know first-hand how deep the soccer culture runs in Eastern Washington, and it’s incredibly meaningful to bring a match of this magnitude back to that community,” Sounders FC General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer Craig Waibel said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with ONE Spokane Stadium and Aequus Sports to share this moment with fans who have supported the game for generations and to showcase high-level competition in a region that truly loves soccer.”
Neither the Sounders nor Reign have included any of these matches in their season-ticket packages. Tickets to the Sounders game will be made available in late February with season-ticket holders getting access to an exclusive pre-sale after the opponent has been finalized and can be alerted to the latest information by registering here. The Reign announced they will provide more details about ticketing for these games to their season ticket holders in the near future.
