Donald Trump, JD Vance won't attend U.S.-Belgium World Cup match in Seattle, King County spokesperson says
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 nor Vance has been seen at a World Cup match this summer. They have also never paid a visit to Seattle 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 19 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 an 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.
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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 9:34 AM.