Blind Soccer

In blind soccer, players track a ball by the bells inside it. Communication comes constantly from teammates, coaches, guides and goalkeepers. Field players compete in eyeshades, navigating the pitch through sound, touch and extraordinary spatial awareness.

SeattleFWC26 began introducing more people to the sport well before the World Cup arrived. A hands-on clinic with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes welcomed blind and low-vision players alongside coaches, referees, PE teachers and recreation leaders to learn the game and the systems needed to support it.

For U.S. Blind Soccer captain Charles-Edouard Catherine, growing the sport also meant showing people what elite blind athletes could do. His national team was already working toward another enormous stage: the LA28 Paralympic Games.

In May 2026, the United States, Peru and Kazakhstan arrived at Interbay Stadium for the Pacific Northwest’s first Blind Soccer International Tournament.

The weekend included training, exhibitions and international matches, with results for Peru and Kazakhstan counting toward Paralympic qualification. Kazakhstan ultimately took the tournament title.

For many spectators, it was their first chance to experience blind soccer at this level. They heard the bell inside the ball, the calls across the field and the quiet demanded from the crowd while play was underway. Then they saw the speed, physicality and skill of athletes competing to win.

SeattleFWC26’s partnership with the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes led USABA to designate Seattle as its official Pacific Northwest hub for blind soccer, creating a regional base for the sport as it grows toward LA28 and beyond.

That designation was paired with something athletes could actually play on. SeattleFWC26 donated a regulation blind soccer pitch panel set to the new soccer park in East Tacoma, giving the region its first fully equipped facility for Paralympic regulation blind soccer.

The work found a permanent home at the new soccer park in East Tacoma, where a donated regulation blind soccer pitch panel set gave the region its first fully equipped facility for Paralympic regulation blind soccer.