FAQs on Seattle's World Cup Pride Match, from flags to watch parties
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Seattle is preparing to host a Pride Match" during the FIFA Men's World Cup, a mashup of soccer and rainbow-themed festivities celebrating the LGBTQ+ community on June 26 that has generated backlash from Egypt and Iran, the two teams set to play that day.
Leaders with Seattle's local organizing committee say it designated the Friday game at Seattle Stadium (what Lumen Field is being called during the World Cup) as the Pride Match to uplift the region's LGBTQ+ community and kick off the city's Pride weekend. Fans can expect Pride-themed watch parties, art installations outside the stadium and at city landmarks, limited edition merch and more.
The Pride Match has been in the works for years, but sparked controversy when FIFA announced Egypt and Iran were assigned to the match in December. Same-sex relationships are criminalized in both countries, and both countries pushed back against being associated with Pride celebrations.
Hedda McLendon, senior vice president of legacy for Seattle's host committee, said organizers of the Pride Match were undeterred and that festivities will continue as planned.
"When Seattle bid against and competed for one of the 11 (U.S.) slots … one of the things we really sold about Seattle and why the World Cup should come to Seattle actually was inclusion," McLendon said.
Seattle is the only host city organizing a Pride Match, said Jen Barnes, founder and CEO of the Rough & Tumble sports bar and co-chair of the Pride Match advisory committee.
"We are here to ensure that everybody who comes to visit, and anybody who's watching this game, understands that we celebrate people, their sexual identity, their sexual orientation, and we are an inclusive and safe place to visit and live in," Barnes said.
What is the Pride Match?
Organizers describe the Pride Match as an opportunity to showcase LGBTQ+ businesses and artists in the Seattle region, and offer vibrant and safe spaces for fans to watch the games.
"It's highlighting and spotlighting voices around our community," Barnes said. "It's not about one game, it's about our community."
Discussions around possible Pride-themed celebrations during the World Cup began in 2024 when Seattle received its match schedule, McLendon said.
The Friday game, the fourth of six matches to be played in Seattle, is right before the last weekend of June, which is generally considered Pride weekend. The Seattle Pride Parade in downtown Seattle will be held Sunday, June 28.
Colorful posters and art installations celebrating diversity and LGBTQ+ identity will dot the city, McLendon said, and the host committee's SEA&WIN mobile app notes LGBTQ+-owned businesses people can visit during the tournament.
A Pride-themed art piece depicting an orca fluke, inspired by the host city poster, at Stoup Brewing on Capitol Hill includes a QR code fans can scan to donate to the Gender Justice League, a Seattle-based human rights organization.
The local organizing committee is also a sponsor of the Seattle Pride Parade and the Trans Pride Seattle festival.
Can fans bring in pride flags and wear other LGBTQ+-related items into Seattle Stadium?
Yes. Fans can bring pride flags into the stadium as part of FIFA's human rights and antidiscrimination policy, McLendon said. FIFA treats the rainbow flag and other sexual orientation and gender identity flags as statements of human rights.
Confusion over whether pride flags would be allowed escalated in May after the Iranian football federation issued a list of demands to FIFA before the country would commit to playing in the tournament.
Among the demands was a request that Iran's culture, beliefs and nation's flag be respected, sparking fears among some that pride flags and other rainbow-themed items would be banned from the stadium.
But Iran's request did not relate to pride flags or displays, McLendon said. Instead, the demand may have been tied to concerns about use of the "Lion and Sun" flag, the country's official flag prior to the 1979 Revolution, which has become a resistance symbol for those against Iran's current Islamic regime.
"With regards to Iran's demands, it was really wanting assurances from FIFA about what national flag was flown, which is a FIFA decision," McLendon said, adding, "it has nothing to do with" the local organizing committee's work.
Where are the Pride Match watch parties?
There will be at least four official Pride Match watch parties scheduled for June 26, McLendon said - one in Olympia at Port Plaza, one in downtown White Center on 16th Avenue Southwest, one in Ballard at Ballard Avenue Northwest and 22nd Avenue Northwest, and one in downtown Seattle at Pacific Place.
The watch parties in Ballard, Pacific Place and White Center are free, while the Olympia-Lacey fan zone celebration is $10 for general admission (kids 12 and under enter free).
Some businesses around the city, like Stoup Brewing and Rough & Tumble, will also show the match on TVs and have pride decorations in their spaces, McLendon said.
At official watch parties, fans can expect pride-themed giveaways, including free pride-themed soccer scarves, McLendon said.
What is Iran and Egypt's response to the Pride Match, and will they be playing?
Iran considers homosexuality illegal and punishable up to death. In Egypt, same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under interpretations of laws criminalizing acts of "indecency" and "debauchery," which carry prison sentences and fines.
Both Iran and Egypt pushed back against Pride-related activities tied to the June 26 game, stating in December that they would appeal to FIFA about being involved in the match. Neither country pulled out at the time, though.
Questions about whether Iran would play reignited in February after the start of the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, but Iran's national team has gone forward with participating in the tournament, playing its debut game against New Zealand on June 15 in Inglewood, Calif.
Did Seattle organizers change Pride Match plans because of the controversy?
No, McLendon said. The reactions from the Egyptian and Iranian soccer federations did not sway organizers, and they did not receive pressure from FIFA to alter plans, she said.
FIFA has "a history of respecting the community and the culture of the host city, she said.
"It was always about inclusion and visibility, and whether that is Iran, Egypt, Qatar, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Australia, or frankly, the United States of America, we can all do better when it comes to inclusion and LGBTQ visibility," she said.
Where can I find Pride Match merch?
In addition to giveaways at Pride Match watch parties, several local businesses will be selling limited-edition posters, drinks and other merchandise to celebrate the Pride Match.
According to GSBA, the state's LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce, Pride Match merch and other items by local artists can be purchased at Rough & Tumble, Cafe Flora, Floret, Flora Bakehouse and Cone & Steiner.
Stoup Brewing created a Pride Match Day IPA and local gift basket company Bite Society created a soccer-themed pride cookie tin.
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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 4:50 PM.