When it's time to promote or celebrate their sport’s most significant milestones, Seattle Sounders FC and the local football community gather at the Space Needle, the iconic 184-metre tall tower that soars above the city and Puget Sound. Green-and-blue flags fluttered atop the Needle ahead of the Sounders' wins in the 2019 MLS Cup final and the 2022 Concacaf Champions League final, and again the following year as the Emerald City commemorated its selection as a FIFA World Cup 2026 host. On Friday 13 June, the next huge occasion was commemorated as Seattle Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr., a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, raised a massive 9m x 6m Sounders flag in support of their entry into the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Seattle’s Lumen Field will host six matches during the groundbreaking tournament, including the Sounders’ Group B showdowns with Botafogo (15 June), Atlético de Madrid (19 June) and Paris Saint-Germain (23 June).

"It’s one of the biggest things that happens,” Griffey said of the FIFA Club World Cup. "I mean, Super Bowl, NBA titles, World Series – soon – and this. I mean, these things don't happen very often and so this is a great opportunity to show the world that Seattle is a great place to come." Friday’s flag raising anchored a series of events the Sounders, and Seattle itself, are staging to celebrate the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup, which kicks off in Miami on Saturday 14 June and features 32 elite clubs playing in 12 stadiums across 11 U.S. Host Cities. On Sunday 15 June, the Sounders will be joined by the NWSL's Seattle Reign FC, the RAVE Foundation and Seattle's FIFA World Cup 2026 local organising committee as they attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest soccer lesson. Full-day fan fests at Occidental Park, public match viewings and concerts will also be part of the Club World Cup festivities.

"Sounders fans have always supported the Seattle Sounders, bar none, since 1974," former player and club ambassador Brad Evans said. "We've packed out stadiums since I can remember, and this is an opportunity that's going to come once in a lifetime."

Fellow Sounders veteran and club ambassador Steve Zakuani added, "Football brings people together. So just come out there with your families and enjoy the game, and I think the boys could do with all the support they can get". All FIFA Club World Cup 2025 fixtures, including the Sunday, 13 July final at New York New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, will be live-streamed for free on DAZN.com. Tickets and ticket-inclusive hospitality packages are on sale via FIFA.com/tickets.