Seattle sticking to its liberal agenda.

PublishedDecember 8, 2025 11:12 AM EST•UpdatedDecember 8, 2025 11:12 AM EST

When Seattle was announced as one of the many host cities for the 2026 World Cup, it was inevitable that the city and its leaders would use it as an opportunity to remind the world that it is one of the most liberal, woke places in North America. 

And that's exactly what it's planning to do when Group Stage matches make their way to Seattle in June, which just so happens to also be Pride Month. The World Cup draw, though, has created a rather complicated situation for the city.

Seattle intends to kick off Pride weekend with a ‘Pride Match’ at Lumen Field on June 26 featuring Egypt and Iran, two countries with very strong anti-LBGTQ laws. How strong? Egypt criminalizes gay relationships while capital punishment is the maximum penalty under Iranian law. So much pride!

This presents what could be a bizarre setting in Seattle, with fans celebrating Pride both inside and outside the stadium, but the players on the field representing homelands that do not stand for any of it. You can not come up with a more contrasting situation.

Scenes from the 45th annual Seattle Pride Parade. (Genna Martin, Seattlepi.com) (Photo by Genna Martin/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

The planned Pride celebrations for the match do not directly involve FIFA, but instead Seattle organizers and a Pride Match Advisory Committee (PMAC) that they have put together. Those organizers are not planning to deviate from the ‘Pride Match’ despite it featuring Egypt and Iran. Maybe the teams are the point? 

"It is a Host City–led expression of Seattle and Washington State’s commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone belongs: players, fans, residents, and visitors alike," a spokesperson for the PMAC told OutSports.

"Soccer has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs. We are honored to host a Pride Match and to celebrate Pride as part of a global football community. This match reflects our ongoing commitment to respect, dignity, and unity for all."

Lumen Field is set to host six World Cup matches, but some conflicts would make it difficult to designate one of the other contests as a ‘Pride Match.’

READ: FIFA’s 2026 World Cup Is A Full-Blown Extortion Scheme Wrapped In A Soccer Tournament

The U.S. will take on Australia in Seattle on June 19, but that has been designated to mark Juneteenth. The other group matches at Lumen Field will feature either Egypt or Qatar, another country with anti-gay laws. A round of 32 match and a round of 16 match will take place in Seattle, but not until July, when Pride Month will have already been wrapped up.

Eric Wahl, a member of the Seattle PMAC and brother to the late soccer journalist Grant Wahl, expressed that it was a "good thing" Seattle's ‘Pride Match’ will feature two countries where it is illegal to be gay.

Seattle's mayor-elect, Katie Wilson, wrote on social media after the group stage matches were announced that she's excited to "show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome."