FIFA Club World Cup

During the 2025 season, Seattle Sounders FC took part in the biggest international club tournament in world of football. Beyond competing, Seattle also hosted multiple matches right in the heart of the city. It gave our team a unique opportunity to be part of a global celebration—welcoming fans from around the world and turning the city into a true football destination.

CLIENT

Seattle Sounders

ROLE

Lead Designer

YEAR

2025

TYPE

Campaign

Strategic Approach

🎯 OBJECTIVE

The goal was simple: welcome the global football community to Seattle through the club’s perspective—both as a competitor and as a host. This was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for the city, and the opportunity was to use it to connect with fans worldwide while elevating the club’s presence on an international stage.

⚡CHALLENGE

We needed to define clear messaging and a visual approach that worked from both angles—participant and host—while also distinguishing the content across each. All of this had to come together under a tight deadline, as the tournament landed right in the middle of our season, leaving a narrow window to concept, produce, and launch.

🚀 APPROACH

We centered the story around arrival. The content followed the journey of fans and teams coming into the city—from landing at SeaTac, moving through customs, and navigating Seattle’s public transportation, all the way to Lumen Field. This approach tied everything together, capturing the feeling of the world arriving in Seattle to experience football at its highest level.

A world map with flags representing different soccer teams arranged for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
Official announcement poster for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, showing that the draw is scheduled for Thursday, December 5 at 10:00 AM PT in Miami, Florida. The poster features the event logo and a graphic of the Seattle Sounders FC logo.
Empty soccer stadium with fans and a large message on the field celebrating 100 days until an event, with dates June 15, 2025, June 19, 2025, and June 23, 2025; showtimes Seattle Sounders FC vs. Botafogo, vs. Atletico de Madrid, and Seattle Sounders
Empty football stadium with the message '50 Days Out' over a blue sky with clouds, and a logo in the bottom right corner reading 'Club World Cup 25 FIFA'.
Group of five soccer players in front of a city skyline at night, with a large illuminated 'GROUP B' sign and a stadium in the background. The players wear jerseys from different football teams.
Three gray storage bins filled with various sports and travel items. The left bin contains memorabilia including a medal, photos, a keychain, and a model of a shoe. The middle bin holds an Atletico Madrid soccer ball, a churro, a copy of a Spanish pa
A ferry boat with advertisements for a soccer match between Sounders FC and Botafogo, docked on a waterfront with a city skyline in the background including the Space Needle and a Ferris wheel.
A Seattle public transit bus driving on city streets with logos of Seattle Sounders FC and Paris Saint-Germain football clubs floating above it.

Merchandise Design

Community FanFest Giveaway

Two black t-shirts, one with a large graphic design and the other with small text. The left shirt features the text "WORLD'S GAME IN SEATTLE" in blue and white, with a detailed illustration of a stadium and cityscape underneath. The right shirt has t
Promotional poster for a soccer tournament featuring matches between Sounders FC and various teams, with a dark cityscape background and large, bold, textured text reading 'Worlds Gaming Seattle'.
Group of football fans wearing River Plate jerseys, posing outdoors in Seattle with a flag and a black T-shirt that reads 'World's Game in Seattle', during daytime.

Impact, Insights & Contributors

📈 RESULTS

The campaign drove high engagement and exponential growth across our social channels, especially Instagram. Collaborating with other teams on “Collab Posts” amplified our reach, helping grow the club’s international presence and connecting with fans around the world.

💡 KEY LEARNINGS

Not every decision will be directly revenue-driven, but digital growth is a form of exposure in itself. This project taught us to balance local club priorities—our regular season didn’t pause—while dedicating focus to celebrating and participating in a defining moment in the club’s history.

🤝 TEAM

Ethan Wong // Airport Bin Composite // Senior Designer
David Marksbury, Christian Vargas // Match up Posters // Graphic Designers

🎨 MY CONTRIBUTIONS

I led the creative direction and strategy for all content produced during the tournament. This included developing preliminary graphics for group stage announcements, countdowns to kickoff, and matchup visuals during the competition, while also executing some of the designs myself to ensure consistency and quality across the campaign.

Vamos Sounders Club

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