{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://larsen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2554", "Washington Congressional Delegation: Seattle is Ready to Host 2026 FIFA World Cup", "2021-10-31", "2021", "2021-10", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Rick Larsen", "L000560", "larsen.house.gov", "larsen", "https://larsen.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "SEATTLE, WA \u2013 Today, Washington state\u2019s congressional delegation, led by Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), co-chair of the Congressional Soccer Caucus, and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), whose district includes Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Sounders, and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, called on FIFA leadership and tournament organizers to consider Seattle as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.\n\n\u201cAs members of Washington state\u2019s congressional delegation, we are excited to share what makes our state special. We look forward to working with FIFA, as well as our state and local partners, to host the world in 2026,\u201d the lawmakers wrote in a letter addressed to leaders from FIFA, CONCACAF and the U.S. Soccer Federation.\n\nRepresentatives Adam Smith (WA-09), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) and Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) joined Larsen and Jayapal\u2019s letter to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Washington.\n\nPlease read the letter below and attached.\n\nColin Smith\n\nChief Competitions & Events Officer,\n\nF\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale\n\nde Football Association\n\nFIFA Strasse 20\n\nP.O. Box 8044\n\nZurich, Switzerland\n\nVictor Montagliani\n\nPresident, Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football\n\n161 NW 6th Street\n\nSuite 1100\n\nMiami, FL 33136\n\nCindy Parlow Cone\n\nPresident, U.S. Soccer Federation\n\n1801 South Prairie Avenue\n\nChicago, IL 60616\n\nDear Mr. Smith, Mr. Montagliani and Ms. Parlow Cone:\n\nWe encourage you to consider Seattle as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As members of the Washington state congressional delegation, we know Seattle would be an excellent host city and we welcome the opportunity to share with the world all that makes Washington special.\n\nThe Pacific Northwest represents the future of soccer in North America. Puget Sound is home to the third-most attended National Women\u2019s Soccer League (NWSL) team, Tacoma\u2019s OL Reign, and the second-most attended Major League Soccer (MLS) team, the two-time MLS Cup Champion Seattle Sounders. Youth soccer is also the most-played organized sport in the region, with 93,000 participants in Washington Youth Soccer programs. Our region is where soccer is growing, and Seattle will have a guaranteed fan base to welcome the World Cup.\n\nFor international fans, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) is an ideal international gateway, with the third-most direct flights to Asia of any airport in the western United States. Nearby airports in Everett, Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia expand our capacity to host the world as fans and families plan their vacations around a match at Lumen Field.\n\nWhen guests arrive, they will be able to access matches and tourist destinations easily, thanks to robust local, state and federal investments in public transportation. Light rail connects guests straight from Sea-Tac airport to downtown hotels and Lumen field, while Amtrak connects the entire Northwest from Portland to Vancouver, and Spokane to Seattle. Downtown Seattle is ready to host guests in nearly 15,000 hotel rooms; throughout the surrounding counties, all connected by light rail, there are more than 57,000 available rooms.\n\nFor visitors, Washington boasts a wealth of culinary, tourism and outdoor recreation opportunities. Guests can explore the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest on one of 3,897 hiking trails, or visit one of Washington\u2019s more than 1,000 wineries, 420 breweries or booming cideries. Across the state, guests will find rock climbing and alpine spas in central Washington, a thriving music and arts scene in Spokane, and restaurants serving everything from locally-sourced shellfish to beef raised on Eastern Washington\u2019s ranches.\n\nAs members of the Washington congressional delegation, we are excited to share what makes our state special. We look forward to working with FIFA, as well as our state and local partners, to host the world in 2026.\n\nSincerely,\n\nRick Larsen\n\nMember of Congress\n\nPramila Jayapal\n\nMember of Congress\n\nPatty Murray\n\nMember of Congress\n\nMaria Cantwell\n\nMember of Congress\n\nAdam Smith\n\nMember of Congress\n\nCathy McMorris Rodgers\n\nMember of Congress\n\nJaime Herrera Beutler\n\nMember of Congress\n\nSuzan DelBene\n\nMember of Congress\n\nDerek Kilmer\n\nMember of Congress\n\nDan Newhouse\n\nMember of Congress\n\nKim Schrier, M.D.\n\nMember of Congress\n\nMarilyn Strickland\n\nMember of Congress\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:24:51Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://larsen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2554"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9057652205228806, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}