KUOW73%
High expectations, low buzz: World Cup fans appear to favor alcohol over weed in Seattle 34%
By Cornelius Hocker43%
6/26/2026, 11:24:13 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 25 faulty reasoning types, including Post Hoc (False Cause), Negativity Bias, and Ambiguity (Equivocation), with Anecdotal as the most egregious example at 50.1% saturation with 317 hits. Analysis detected 1,689 faulty-reasoning hits from 633 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 42.1% and a BS Rank of 34% (14,455 of 21,886 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 66.00% of the article peer group.
Leading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Washington Department of Health warned visitors: The cannabis here can be more potent than what they’re used to, so go slow and don’t overdo it.
Seattle and King County Public Health put out a similar warning.
That caution, however, may have been a bit overblown.
A majority of Seattle dispensaries told KUOW they’ve seen some out-of-state and international customers, but football fans looking to get high haven’t been beating down their doors.
Still, a few patterns have emerged.
Visitors from Down Under
Australians, who come from a land where recreational cannabis is illegal, are taking the opportunity to sample what higher things Seattle has to offer.
Eleven of the 18 dispensaries KUOW spoke with reported selling to Australian customers.
At Cannazone Seattle Cannabis Dispensary in SoDo, a manager said one Australian visitor even left a five-star Google review.
This was on the same day their team lost to the United States.
‘Like a stoner zoo’
At The Bakeréé in Belltown, staff said they’ve had World Cup fans make purchases, but a notable number of people are just curious.
They want to step inside, ask questions and, in the employee’s words, “talk to an actual stoner.”
“We’re like a stoner zoo, a museum, almost,” one employee said.
Several other dispensaries reported a similar pattern: more foot traffic, but not necessarily more sales.
Location, location, location
Despite Lumen Field, or “Seattle Stadium” as FIFA refers to it during the World Cup, sitting near SoDo, dispensaries in the area say they haven’t seen as many fans as expected.
“It’s been really surprising, considering how many fans were supposed to be in the city,” an employee at Dockside Cannabis said.
About 750,000 people are expected to visit Seattle during the city’s six World Cup matches.
In Capitol Hill, retailers had a different story.
Employees at Uncle Ike’s, The Reef and Ruckus Recreational said they’ve seen “a lot” of international visitors.
Even so, Uncle Ike’s said those visits haven’t translated into a noticeable increase in sales.
Outside the city’s core, some dispensaries say they’re surprised visitors have found them at all.
A Greener Today, located near a light rail stop, told KUOW World Cup visitors have been buying from them.
They attributed it, in part, to travelers staying farther out to save money and commuting into the city.
In Georgetown, The Reef Cannabis said it has mostly seen visitors from other states, fans driving and stopping because of the shop’s proximity to the highway.
Alcohol vs. weed
Almost all the dispensaries told KUOW, soccer fans, in their opinion, seem more interested in alcohol.
Bars in Pioneer Square have had stellar crowds for game days and throughout the World Cup.
A bar owner in Ballard told FOX13, fans “nearly emptied his entire inventory of beer.”
This happened at the Kangaroo & Kiwi, an inviting locale for visiting Australians, who have a reputation for being heavy drinkers.
Overall, cannabis retailers agreed the comfortability with alcohol may be why they didn’t see a huge increase in customers.
They also noted that many fans are from countries or states where cannabis remains illegal and/or culturally less accepted, making them less likely to buy it while they’re visiting.
RELATED: World Cup crowds bring some boom, some bust for Seattle businesses
Along with the warning about stronger weed, the Washington Department of Health also reminded visitors of a few other things: You have to be 21+ to buy cannabis; it’s illegal to travel across state lines with cannabis or bring it onto a plane, even if it’s legal at their destination.
Officials also urged people not to drive under the influence or consume cannabis in public, both of which are illegal.
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