The World Cup is coming to North America next year—and Seattle’s hosting a handful of games. You know, the ones Donald Trump threatened to take away because he doesn’t like our politics. Since that’s not happening, we’ll host four group stage games at Seattle Stadium (nĂ©e Lumen Field) during June. Hm, what else happens in June and is a big deal? Pride. 

Naturally, Seattle’s FIFA organizers, Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 (SeattleFWC26), decided we should host a Pride Match to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and soccer. It’s the world’s biggest stage—2.9 billion watched 2022’s tournament—so this was an opportunity to showcase what Seattle’s all about. 

SeattleFWC26 will have colorful rainbow art for the occasion (see the finalists for the art competition here) and gay celebratory activities outside the match, too. 

Mayor-elect Katie Wilson is hyped about the opportunity to showcase Seattle Pride. “FIFA World Cup is coming to Seattle, and we are excited to be a part of the global celebration," Wilson wrote in a post. (Also, did everyone see her other soccer post of her juggling?) "With matches on Juneteenth and pride, we get to show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome. What an incredible honor!"

It sounds pretty good. Except, by the bad luck of the draw, the countries playing in that June 26 game criminalize homosexuality.

They couldn’t have known which countries Seattle’s game would feature. The World Cup draw solidifying the schedule was only last Friday. 

  • Belgium vs. Egypt on June 15
  • USA vs. Australia on June 19th
  • Qatar vs. TBD (whoever wins the Union of European Football Associations playoffs between Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales) June 24
  • Egypt vs. Iran on June 26
  • Unknown contenders will face off in a Round of 32 match on July 1
  • Unknown contenders will face off in a Round of 16 match on July 6

Egypt and Iran will be squaring off for the Pride match. In Iran, the maximum punishment for homosexuality is death. Egypt uses morality laws to quash LGBTQ+ rights and relationships. 

Neither are happy. Earlier this week, the Egyptian Football Association sent a formal letter to FIFA “requesting LGBTQ+ ‘Pride Match’ celebrations at one of their 2026 World Cup matches do not go ahead.”

The letter stated that “information had been circulating indicating the local organizing committee’s decision and plan to hold some activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during that match, and that it completely rejects such activities, which directly contradict the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”

According to ESPN, the president of Iran's Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, said, “Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point.”

Both countries plan to complain about the Pride Match at a FIFA Council meeting in Qatar next week. 

There’s no easy fix. Egypt is playing Belgium on the 15th, and on the 24th, Qatar—another country that criminalizes homosexuality—is playing whoever wins the Union of European Football Associations playoffs between Bosnia and Herzegovina/Italy/Northern Ireland/Wales. That leaves USA vs. Australia on the 19th, but that’s already the Juneteenth match.

Hana Tadesse, the vice president of communications for SeattleFWC26, indicated the group would still celebrate the Pride Match as planned.

Over email, Tedesse writes that football had “a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs. The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation's largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we're hosting in Seattle. We're committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region."

The Pride Match is not an official FIFA event anyway, so there won't be any celebrations inside the stadium. FIFA controls that realm. They don’t allow political flags, but flags supporting “sporting and social symbols” are okay. 

The crowd can wave as many rainbow flags as they wish, contrary to how Qatar ran its World Cup in 2022, when it defied FIFA rules and banned any fans or players from wearing rainbow garb for homophobic reasons. FIFA told Qatar to knock it off.

Not everyone is going to be happy with the Pride Match. But, not everyone was happy with the last World Cup either when Qatar forced migrant workers to build its stadiums. Many people in other countries complained about that, but then their countries still played in the Cup.

It’s unclear how the complaints will be received, but  SeattleFWC26 is holding firm. 

“There’s no world in which outside pressure would force this to change,” she says in a phone call.