Kent Police to provide extra transit patrols during World Cup

Published 1:51 pm Monday, June 1, 2026

Kent Police will help provide extra security and crowd patrols during the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the city’s two light rail stations on the West Hill and the Sounder train/King County Metro station downtown.

Officers also will assist the Renton Police Department with security measures as that city will host the Belgium national team at the Seattle Sounders headquarters and training facility.

Six World Cup games will be played at Lumen Field (referred to as Seattle Stadium for the tournament) starting June 15 and ending July 6.

“The biggest sporting event in the world is coming to our region,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said during his Public Safety Report May 19 to the Kent City Council. “I wanted to take a moment to go through some of the details related to Kent and the planning and what some of our community members can expect during this time.”

Padilla said Kent Police will have three primary functions during the tournament.

“Our first one’s going to be security and efficient movement at our public transit centers in Kent specifically,” Padilla said. “So, our two light rail stations and our Metro/Sounder station. Kent will be staffed full-time during each game day with ample personnel.”

The light rail stations are Kent Des Moines along Pacific Highway Sound and Star Lake near Interstate 5 and South 272nd Street. Sound Transit operates light rail between Federal Way and Lynnwood, so many people are expected to use light rail to get to the stadium.

The second priority is to assist Renton Police and the city of Renton with hosting the Belgium team.

“What comes with that is security detail and reaction response capabilities for the team wherever they go for the entire month,” Padilla said. “At the hotel, training facility, they decide they want to go get burgers, there will be police officers making sure that they’re safe to and from where they go.”

The third priority will be to assist Seattle Police and the city of Seattle.

“Our third is to be prepared for a mutual aid rapid response in the event of a large-scale security threat or mass casualty event,” Padilla said. “That will be the only time that we will deploy any of Kent resources to the city of Seattle.”

The Seattle Police Department has led the planning for security and patrol measures in the region for the past three years, Padilla said. The supporting agencies include King County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, other local police departments and federal law enforcement partners.

“My assessment is that everything that can be done to ensure a fantastic World Cup that’s safe and accessible is being done,” Padilla said.

The police chief said there’s no need for residents to be alarmed when they see extra patrols.

“You’re going to see a lot more uniform presence at transit centers during game days,” Padilla said. “Predominantly, you’ll see our bike officers, but to cover things, we’ll also be deploying our Neighborhood Response Team and our Crime Reduction Unit as well. Those will be uniform officers there.”

Padilla said many foreign tourists are used to having mass transit systems.

“While public transit is still something relatively new for this part of the world, in the countries that will be visiting public or mass transit is the way that they travel predominantly and the way that they’ve been encouraged to travel to the games here in our region,” he said. “So we expect a serious increase in ridership and then increased congestion on some of our major highways that lead into Lumen Field.”

Residents really just need stay alert and be aware.

“At this moment there are no known credible threats to the games,” Padilla said. “But safety is something we want to be vigilant for always and we want everyone to take a active role in that. So see something, say something. If something is suspicious, someone is acting weird or you find a suspicious package, we want you to contact the officers that will be visible at the transit centers or call 911 right away and we will deal with that.”

Padilla said the popularity of the World Cup and its international attraction will make the games a huge deal.

“There is a lot more tradition and events that go to a international soccer match than you might realize,” he said. “There’s parades of the opposing fans that march into the stadium. There’s a lot that goes along with that including enhanced security protocols and extended protective areas for the events that are much more in-depth than what you might see going to say a Seahawks game or a Mariners game.”

No extra costs

While several duties of Kent officers will change during the World Cup, no additional costs to the city are anticipated, Padilla said in an email to the Kent Reporter.

“We are tasking existing units to cover this need,” he said. “Officers from our Special Operations Unit, Crime Reduction Unit and Neighborhood Response team will be assigned to provide a visible security presence as part of their normal work shift.”

World Cup schedule

(At Lumen Field)

• Monday, June 15, noon: Belgium vs. Egypt (Group G)

• Thursday, June 19, noon: USA vs. Australia (Group D)

• Wednesday, June 24, noon: Qatar vs. Playoff Winner A (Group B)

• Friday, June 26, 8 p.m.: Egypt vs. Iran (Group G)

• Wednesday, July 1, 1 p.m.: Round of 32 (1G vs. TBD)

• Monday, July 6, 5 p.m.: Round of 16 (Match 94)