I live in the Seattle area so I had the opportunity to attend all of the local 2025 Club World Cup games. The Seattle Sounders (my local team) played all of their games at Lumen Field, their home stadium. I also went to two Inter Milan games, which was awesome because Inter is my favorite European team. I’ll write posts about those games too, but this one will focus on the first Club World Cup game in Seattle between the Sounders and Botafogo.
- Background
- Teams involved
- How I got tickets
- How I got to the game
- The game
- Leaving the stadium
- Conclusion
Background
The 2025 Club World Cup was the first edition of the tournament with 32 teams. Instead of only involving the most recent continental champions, this version included the continental champions from the previous 4 years plus other teams that qualified based on their ranking.
What used to be called “Club World Cup” (an annual tournament with only the most recent continental champions), is now called the Intercontinental Cup. The initial edition of that tournament took place in 2024. When I was growing up, the Intercontinental Cup was a single game that took place annually between the champions of Europe (the winners of the Champions League) and the champions of South America (the winners of the Copa Libertadores). I remember waking up really early to watch those games, since they usually took place in Japan.
Teams involved
The Sounders are based in Seattle, Washington, United States. They compete in Major League Soccer and have won the MLS Cup twice, in 2016 and 2019. They are the only MLS team that has won the CONCACAF Champions League/Cup, back in 2022. That victory qualified them to the 2022 Club World Cup (now called the Intercontinental Cup, as I mentioned earlier) and also the expanded Club World Cup in 2025. The Sounders have a very strong following and a very passionate fan base, myself included.
Botafogo (Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas) is a Brazilian team from the city of Rio de Janeiro. They qualified to the 2025 Club World Cup by winning the 2024 Copa Libertadores (the top club competition in South America). That was their first Copa Libertadores title, which they won by defeating Atletico Mineiro in the final.
How I got tickets
Tickets for Club World Cup games were available in three ways. You could buy them directly from Ticketmaster, on fifa.com if you were part of an official fan club, or through a hospitality package. I bought tickets through Ticketmaster as soon as they became available, which was near the end of 2024.
How I got to the game
Lumen Field is located south of downtown Seattle. I usually drive to games there but this time I decided to try public transportation. I wanted to avoid paying for parking and I also wanted to be able to leave the area relatively quickly after the game. I took the Light Rail, which worked out really well. I got off at the International District station and then walked a short distance to the stadium.
The game
My opinion before the game was that Botafogo was most likely to win because they were the reigning Copa Libertadores champions. I expected the Sounders to put up a good fight but with Jordan Morris (the team’s top striker) being injured and important players from the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League campaign no longer there, such as Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz, I expected Botafogo to have the edge.
In the end, the game was much closer than I originally expected and the Sounders really could have won it. The Sounders started the game strongly, defended well, and had good chances to score. For example, there was a shot from Ferreira that barely missed the goal. However, in the 28th minute a free kick was awarded to Botafogo and Jair Cunha (a central defender that recently transferred to Nottingham Forest) scored with a header. Botafogo then scored another goal in the 44th minute. This time it was a header from Igor Jesus, their key striker. He also recently transferred to Nottingham Forest.
The Sounders came out swinging in the second half and continued to have good chances to score. Finally, they scored in the 75th minute through a header from Cristian Roldan. The Sounders came close to scoring a second goal a number of times, especially toward the end of the game with a shot from Pedro de la Vega. However, no other goals were scored and Botafogo walked away with the three points.
Leaving the stadium
I walked back to the International District station and took the Light Rail. I had to wait for a few minutes to get a train, but it was very easy and the process was well organized.
Conclusion
This was a really fun experience. I had been to many Sounders games before but this was something special, playing against the reigning South American champions in the Club World Cup! It was great to see the Sounders play well against a very strong opponent. It was also great to see many Botafogo fans who made the trip to Seattle.