Seattle and Washington state's Democratic leaders are facing criticism from residents after the governor praised the city's downtown, which had been temporarily cleaned up ahead of Seattle hosting matches at the World Cup. The city spent nearly $32 million clearing streets and homeless encampments in tourist-heavy areas, prompting anger from locals who fear the improvements are cosmetic and that conditions will deteriorate again once the tournament ends.

Seattle has long struggled with open drug use and homelessness, holding the third-largest homeless population of any US city after New York and Los Angeles. With about 17,000 homeless people in a city of roughly 823,400, its per-capita rate exceeds that of the larger cities, and around 64 per cent are unsheltered, living in tents, vehicles or on the street. Encampments have appeared across the city, including near landmarks such as the Space Needle.