Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's renovated C concourse opens to passengers Thursday, June 11, tripling the space available to travelers and adding seven dining spots just one day before the FIFA World Cup brings its first match to Seattle.

The $399 million project transformed the old single-level concourse into a four-story building, expanding from 81,000 to 229,500 square feet. New tenants include Olympia Coffee, Seattle Macaron Co., Nanny's BBQ, Great State Burger, Buffalo Wild Wings Go, and a bar called Wanderlust. The Port of Seattle received more than 60 bids for the spaces, according to Khalia Moore, the airport's assistant director of dining and retail.

"We are the first and last stop for visitors, so we want to make sure we represent the best of the Northwest," Moore told The Seattle Times.

The opening lands in a narrow window before Seattle's six World Cup matches begin Monday, June 15, at Seattle Stadium. Visit Seattle has projected up to 750,000 visitors during the tournament, though some projections now put the figure closer to 400,000 as international travel demand to the U.S. has softened, according to Seattle Red reporting.

The concourse's centerpiece is a 30-foot wood ceiling made of Western Hemlock panels, called the Tree at C, with auditorium-style seating below and live musicians performing four hours each day. The third floor adds an outdoor patio with airfield and Olympic Mountains views, a sensory room with soundproof green-felt walls, and a nursing room.

On June 9, the new concourse began a 2 week mock service run led by Bridget Boldt, Sea-Tac dining and retail business development and operations manager.

"We've got great national brands in terms of our food, but we've got some great local operators here too. Mock service gives the food and beverage operators an opportunity to welcome guests in the space and test the systems and recipes," said in a video on X.

Alaska Airlines is building a 41,000-square-foot lounge on the upper floors, but that space won't open until late 2027.

The C concourse is one of three projects the Port pushed to complete before the World Cup under its $5 billion UpgradeSEA program. The other two: added lanes on the Airport Expressway and an updated north-end security checkpoint.

Managing director Wendy Reiter, who led a media tour Saturday, June 6, said the new concourse will change how passengers circulate through the airport by opening previously restricted space between the C and D gates.

Chief operating officer Arif Ghouse has called Sea-Tac one of the most constrained major airports in the country. A state transportation report released in May projected regional demand will reach 107 million passengers annually by 2050, but existing airports can support only 67 million even with planned improvements.