With Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., set to host several matches of the world’s largest sporting event in June and July, Skagit County is gearing up to welcome an influx of soccer devotees.

The Skagit Tourism Bureau was awarded a $48,000 grant from the Seattle Foundation to bring fans to Skagit during the 2026 FIFA Club World Cup games. Among the communities benefiting from this donation is La Conner, which is receiving $8,000 to work on a project.

According to the Skagit Tourism Bureau, the games are expected to draw over 750,000 visitors to the region this summer, with hotels within a two-mile radius expected to sell out.

CEO Kristen Keltz said part of the funding will be used to market Skagit County as a “basecamp” for U.S. and international visitors attending the games. In a meeting earlier this month, the bureau discussed project ideas with local towns and cities that will be receiving a slice of the funds.

In the end, the group agreed on creating one road sign for each municipality that will display the name of the town or city and feature art by, they hope, a local artist.

The signs should also include a soccer reference while staying “evergreen,” so they can continue to be used after the games, Keltz said.

Mayor Marna Hanneman, who attended the meeting, said one of the ideas that popped up was to replace the letter “O” with a soccer ball. Each sign may also have illustrations that are unique to that place. For example, she said, La Conner’s could feature the Rainbow Bridge.

The material, color and the font of the signs have yet to be decided, but they will be the same, Keltz and Hanneman said.

“It’s a win-win for everybody to have that feeling that we are uniformed and we stand together,” Hanneman said.

The mayor said she hopes the initiative will not only draw tourists, but also bring fun and novel opportunities for locals.

Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.