Donald Trump, JD Vance won't attend U.S.-Belgium World Cup match in Seattle, King County spokesperson says

Sofia Schwarzwalder, The Seattle Times on Jul 2, 2026

Published in Soccer

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SEATTLE — Neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President JD Vance are expected to attend Monday's USA vs. Belgium round of 16 FIFA Men's World Cup match in Seattle, a King County spokesperson said Thursday morning.

"We've been told that neither the president nor the vice president will be attending the July 6 match," Cameron Satterfield, communications manager with the Department of Executive Services, wrote in an email.

The U.S. won its first knockout match since 2002 Wednesday night, defeating Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2-0, to advance to the round of 16. This week, a local company was informed of the possibility of a temporary flight restriction July 6 if the U.S. were to advance and the president or vice president opted to attend.

Neither Trump or Vance has been seen at a World Cup match this summer. They have also never paid a visit to Seattle in their capacity as president or vice president.

Several members of Trump's cabinet have been seen watching the World Cup. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin were in attendance June 12 in Inglewood, Calif., when the U.S. defeated Paraguay, 4-1, in its opening match of the tournament.

On June 24 in Seattle, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright attended the match that resulted in a 2-0 win over Australia.

The U.S. played its third group stage match of the tournament in Inglewood where it lost, 3-2, to Turkey. Second lady Usha Vance was in attendance, alongside Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll.

The Office of the Vice President did not respond to a inquiry Wednesday night asking if Vance would attend the match.

Trump's or Vance's attendance at Monday's match likely would have complicated travel for fans and caused significant traffic disruption. During past visits from then-President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, traffic snarled across the city as the secret service shut down roads.

Team USA's round of 16 match against Belgium is set for 5 p.m. PT Monday at Seattle Stadium.