The Space Needle, Seattle's iconic landmark, welcomes the World Cup with the FIFA flag at the top

(11 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Seattle - 11 June 2026 1. Various of ceremonial flag raising 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Schmetzer, Seattle Sounders head coach: ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ "It's, for me, a lifetime opportunity. Not so sure if the World Cup's gonna come back in my lifetime, but I hope the experience that I had back in 94, watching some World Cup games, they were seminal moments in my life and I'm hoping that the people now, the younger people that have a chance to experience World Cup Games will come and enjoy and just the feeling of everybody included, the sporting event itself, the soccer. I mean, they were just really good moments for me in my life, and I hope everybody has an experience similar to that." 3. Various of Space Needle and city skyline from park 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Schmetzer, Seattle Sounders head coach: ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ "Well, it's iconic, number one, everybody knows the outline of the Space Needle. What people don't know is when you get up here, you have a beautiful view of the entire city and the landscape. You've got the Olympic Mountains, you've got Puget Sound, you got obviously Mount Rainier, downtown, Bellevue, everything, the cascades, you can see everything from up here. Built for the World's Fair in 1962, the year I was born, but an iconic landmark and certainly we're happy that everybody that comes to Seattle, they should take a trip up here. It's pretty special." 5. Various of visitors in Space Needle's observation deck STORYLINE: The Space Needle, Seattle's iconic landmark, welcomed the 2026 World Cup on Thursday by raising the FIFA flag at the top. The flag featuring the tournament's trophy will be at the top of the Space Needle for the duration of the tournament. Seattle is hosting six games. Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer was among the participants on the Space Needle's rooftop. "Not so sure if the World Cup's gonna come back in my lifetime, but I hope the experience that I had back in '94, watching some World Cup games, they were seminal moments in my life and I'm hoping that the people now, the younger people that have a chance to experience World Cup Games will come and enjoy and just the feeling of everybody included, the sporting event itself, the soccer. I mean, they were just really good moments for me in my life, and I hope everybody has an experience similar to that," he said. Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the 605-foot tall structure was based on a flying saucer. The observation deck features a 360-degree view that shows Seattle's skyline, the volcano Mt. Rainier, mountain ranges and the Puget Sound. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...