Space Needle, painted as giant soccer ball, gets in on World Cup fever

From the turf to the sky, Seattle is all in for the FIFA Men's World Cup - including the city's most iconic landmark.

The Space Needle was painted like a giant soccer ball to celebrate the games; the first Seattle match kicks off June 15 with Belgium versus Egypt. Crews rappelled above the Needle's observation deck with black-and-white paint on Thursday, marking Seattle as a host city even from the sky.

It is not the first time the Space Needle has gotten a temporary makeover.

Previous remodels have included the logos of the University of Washington Huskies football team, the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle SuperSonics. On the Space Needle's 60th anniversary in 2022, it was painted Galaxy Gold," the same color used when the Needle was originally constructed for the 1962 World's Fair. A year later, it returned to "Astronaut White.

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This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 11:36 PM.