Seattle Readies Food And Drink For USA-Australia World Cup Clash

With gates opening at 9 a.m. at Seattle Stadium, Levy created a chilaquiles breakfast nacho for the U.S. game vs. Australia.

Tim Newcomb

Don’t worry about the noon local time start for the United States vs. Australia World Cup clash in Seattle on June 19, fans will still buy alcoholic beverages aplenty. We’re one week into World Cup 2026 and concessionaires across the 16 venues in the U.S., Canada and Mexico have learned loads about the dining decisions of fans from across the world.

“Consumptions shift based on teams,” Sean Borst, senior executive chef for Levy, tells me ahead of the U.S. game in Seattle. “Our internal communications are based on best practices, especially for any of the first times.”

While a walk around Seattle’s many fan zones and downtown restaurants the day before the game gave anecdotal evidence that alcohol would be a popular option for the fan bases of both the U.S. and Australia (not to mention the beverage of choice for breakfast on a day where the gates for fans opened at 9 a.m.), that isn’t the case for every match in Seattle. Borst says Levy’s ready for it all.

Andy Lansing, CEO of Levy, knows the uniqueness of the event. “This World Cup is in a category of its own—simultaneously hosting fans in multiple venues and cities that are converging from all around the globe, all with different preferences and expectations when it comes to the hospitality experience,” Lansing tells me. “We’re all hands on deck to ensure we deliver in a great way for everyone.”

The U.S. game is the second Seattle Stadium World Cup match, having hosted Belgium and Egypt on Monday, June 15. That match, also a noon local start, was less about the drinks and more about the eating. “Alcohol sales were down, but we sold a ton of food on Monday,” Borst says, noting that stadium habits vary greatly based on the fan base of each country playing.

Levy is supporting the concessions across four of the 16 World Cup venues—Seattle, Kansas City, San Francisco and Atlanta—and five fan fests. “The communication piece is also about making sure we always have enough,” Borst says about working with his colleagues across the country. One week in, concessionaires have found that some fan bases have a different focus when it comes to stadium habits.

Also, with gates opening three hours before kickoff, a noon start means being ready to serve customers at 9 a.m. In Seattle, that meant the local team created a new Tostitos-based chilaquiles dish, a breakfast nacho with eggs, avocado crema, cheese sauce and more.

With fans receiving something unique for the morning, the day games have shown a propensity to draw a hungrier crowd than the late-night games across the tournament, Borst said. But not matter the expectations, Levy is stocked for whatever buying habits crop up each game day.

“We’ve spent the past year planning and harnessing key insights from Levy’s extended soccer network domestically and globally to create menus and experiences,” Lansing says. “It’s been an incredible first week and we are beyond excited for the next several ahead.”

As is the case for all the venues across the World Cup, concessionaires are asked to showcase local flavors while embracing sponsored products. In Seattle, that means the popular vegetarian jackfruit nachos and the Seattle dog take center stage. The dog, served year-round in the home of the NFL’s Seahawks’ and MLS’ Sounders, has been a Seattle staple since the 1950s. The Levy version remains original, topped with cream cheese and caramelized onions. The differing nacho offerings come served in a souvenir FIFA soccer ball bowl.

In Kansas City, barbecue comes to play. A 17-hour smoked short rib pastrami is drizzled with mustard barbecue sauce and topped with Swiss cheese and crispy onions, served on a custom soccer-ball bun.

Atlanta is serving a crispy egg roll stuffed with braised oxtail, peppers, onions and smoked cheese while a hot dog pressed into a flour tortilla with beef birria, spicy refried beans, shredded Cheddar, Spanish rise, salsa roja and avocado crema put a burrito-style spin on a stadium classic in San Francisco.

Whether the fans seek a beverage, a stadium classic or a signature dish, Borst says they’re ready for the rush, knowing the stadium will be sold-out and fans will come early. “These are once-in-a-lifetime events,” he says, “we are ready for this.”