As World Cup arrives, Rep. Larsen sees soccer cutting through turmoil

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Rick Larsen began playing soccer as an 8-year-old in Arlington.

Back then, the sport wasn't especially popular in the northern reaches of the state.

When we got to high school, we didn't have a league to play in," said Larsen, D-Everett. They made it work anyway, and kept playing.

The sport has stuck with him since. Larsen, co-chair of the bipartisan congressional soccer caucus, suited up against Republicans in the annual congressional soccer match in early June. (Democrats lost, though Larsen pointed out that they won last year.)

And this week, the Congress member will be in the stands at Lumen Field, watching the United States compete against Australia in one of six FIFA World Cup matches in Seattle - a dream Larsen said he never imagined.

For Larsen, the World Cup's arrival in Seattle reflects soccer's remarkable growth in the United States, from a niche youth sport in places like Arlington to a global spectacle drawing tens of thousands of fans. But the weekslong tournament, which kicked off last Thursday, is also unfolding amid international tensions, ongoing visa disputes and an uncertain war.

A Somali referee was denied entry into the U.S. Immigration officials held and questioned an Iraqi player for nearly seven hours, Reuters reported. Days before Iran's first match, President Donald Trump threatened, then canceled, plans to attack the country "very hard tonight."

At one point, it was unclear whether Iran would still play in the World Cup. The team was eventually granted visas but moved its base camp out of the U.S. to Tijuana, requiring the team to travel between Mexico and host cities before matches.

"What's confusing to me is why the White House would put up roadblocks to having good soccer being played in the United States," Larsen told The Seattle Times last week.

"What I told the White House, Iran is definitely like a FIFA top 20 team," he said. "Good soccer teams who earn their way in should be in the World Cup, and you shouldn't deny soccer fans the opportunity to watch good soccer."

Iran's first match was scheduled against New Zealand on Monday in Los Angeles. The team is scheduled to play Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Trump has claimed that the team risks security issues, suggesting on social media in March that Iran forgo the World Cup "for their own life and safety."

Larsen said he is confident there won't be any security problems; security will be stringent, given the massive nature of the events. (He joked he is more worried about the English fans - known to be rowdy.)

In Seattle, a web of agencies is contributing to security at Lumen Field: the State Patrol, FBI, U.S. Air Marshals, Secret Service, Coast Guard and the Washington State Guard, along with fire departments, EMTs and several emergency management offices. Hundreds of officers, deputies, state troopers and federal agents will be working every day of the tournament. The planning took more than two years, according to Seattle Times reporting.

Larsen's primary concern now is visas.

"We've been agitating on the visa issue as well, just generally to make sure teams get in and their staff get in. So it's about 100 people per team, about between players and support staff, trainers," Larsen said. "Advocating to make sure teams get in and fans get in is extremely important."

Last week, Larsen watched Mexico play against South Africa at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. He plans to watch Canada vs. Qatar Thursday from a watch party in Bellingham.

"And of course, I'll be with 80,000 screaming U.S. fans, and that one guy from Australia," in Seattle, Larsen said.

It's a moment that, he believes, will dim the political turmoil.

"For U.S. fans, it's a chance for us to come together to cheer for the United States," said the Congress member, who turned 61 Monday.

For the 8-year-old Larsen who fell in love with the sport when it barely had a foothold in his corner of Washington, the experience is "absolutely irreplaceable."

"I'll remember it for my next 60 years," Larsen said. I am so effing excited."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 7:33 AM.