Seattle wasn’t really on my World Cup radar.

I knew about coffee, Frasier and the Space Needle, but within a few hours of arriving I found a city that feels completely transformed by the tournament.

Mexican fans fill Pioneer Square after becoming the first team to qualify for the knockout stages. Seattle locals give me their honest assessment of life in the city. And after setting myself the mission of finding Australian supporters before USA v Australia, I meet two World Cup veterans from Melbourne who explain why following football around the world has become an addiction.

Then things take a slightly unexpected turn.

Because somehow I end up chatting to Australia’s first professional Power Slap athlete, standing beside a Seattle fire engine draped in an Australian flag.

Only at a World Cup.

Fan Nation #12: Australia 🇦🇺

FAN48 – The World Cup Fans Podcast
Host: Rob Shaw Cameron
Follow: @Fan48Pod
WhatsApp voice notes: +44 7939 542216

#Seattle #Australia #Socceroos #MexicoFans #PioneerSquare #WorldCupTravel #FootballCulture #FanStories #SeattleWaterfront #FootballTravel