Bob Mackin
Representatives of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim began to discuss a FIFA World Cup 26 memorandum of understanding in late 2024, but have nothing to show with almost a year until the tournament kickoff.
On Dec. 12, 2024, Seattle’s international affairs director wrote to Sim’s chief of staff, Trevor Ford.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the Oval Office in 2018 with U.S. President Donald Trump. (FIFA).
“[Deputy Mayor Greg] Wong would like to talk with you about an idea for some co-ordination around World Cup — something along the lines of an MOU between Seattle and Vancouver to work together and cross-promote the games to make it a regional success cross-border,” wrote Stacey Jehlik in a message obtained by theBreaker.news under freedom of information.
“Most of this would happen between our [local organizing committees] and tourism groups, as those entities already are co-operating. But we’re thinking it might be nice to have the mayors sign something to show the public that elected leaders are promoting the connection.”
Wong and Ford spoke Dec. 19 by webconference. Jehlik followed-up Jan. 10, suggesting Seattle would share a draft by the end of the month.
“I just wanted to loop back on who we should work with on sharing a draft of the MOU we discussed. I’m hoping we can have a draft ready to share the week of Feb. 17,” Jehlik wrote on Feb. 7.
Vancouver’s Trump tariffs response
Jehlik’s email happened to be four days before Sim’s city council unanimously adopted the “Choose Canada, Tariffs and Buy Local Imperative” motion at the Feb. 11 meeting. A March 4 memo from city manager Paul Mochrie said the city has 55 active contracts with U.S. suppliers worth $16.5 million, but 63% of which is for software systems.
Mochrie estimated Canadian suppliers who rely on U.S. goods and services would pass on as much as $11 million in tariff-related cost increases annually for items such as electrical fixtures, pipes and food. The memo mentioned nothing about tariff-sparked cost hikes for FIFA 26.
Ford did not respond, but Karissa Braxton, a spokesperson for Harrell, told theBreaker.news on May 27: “The City of Seattle has been discussing options for coordination and regional cooperation with Vancouver, including expressing shared goals, however, to date no formal MOU has been entered into.”
Behind the scenes, staff at the cities’ local organizing committees are meeting monthly.
Vancouver executive lead Jessie Adcock’s calendar says one happened March 26, the same day as a monthly call with counterparts in Toronto and the FIFA 26 Canadian office.
Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium hosts the first of seven matches on June 13, 2026. Seattle’s Lumen Field hosts the first of its six matches on June 15, 2026.
Seattle also hosts six matches beginning June 15, 2025 in the FIFA Club World Cup 25 test event, including UEFA Champions League winner Paris Saint Germain on June 23 against the Seattle Sounders.
