Seattle plans World Cup 'Pride match' — and two countries that prosecute gays will play in it

The city of Seattle's progressive ideology is set to clash with Islam during the FIFA World Cup next June.

Lumen Field in Seattle is scheduled to host six World Cup games in 2026, and the city's organizing committee is planning a special gay-pride game for June 26.

'The match-up of two countries where it is illegal to be gay is actually a "good thing" for the Pride Match.'

Announced in October, the committee is dubbing the game the "Seattle Pride Match" and has even procured gay art from fans through a contest meant to be used in Seattle's "citywide celebration."

However, after the World Cup draw finally happened on Friday to determine the tournament groups, the gay game is likely to run into ethical problems after it was decided who the two combatants will be.

The June 26 game will showcase a Group G matchup between two Muslim nations where homosexuality is prosecuted: The Islamic Republic of Iran and Egypt.

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Photograph by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In Iran, same-sex relations are criminalized, with punishments ranging from flogging to the death penalty, according to Amnesty International.

Egypt is known to use its "debauchery" laws to prosecute gay acts, and while homosexuality is not explicitly illegal, the country used anti-prostitution laws to convict a man for sending nude photos to another man on the gay-dating app Grindr in 2017, according to the Guardian.

The Seattle organizers, who are not affiliated with FIFA, said they are already preparing the area's gay businesses to prepare for the influx of fans.

"We're working with small businesses so the region's LGBTQ+-owned enterprises are ready to benefit from the tournament's unprecedented visitor surge," said Hedda McLendon, the committee's senior vice president of legacy, according to Newsweek.

Seattle also organized a committee specifically for the Pride match, calling it the Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee. A member of that of that group, Eric Wahl, reportedly stated on social media that "the match-up of two countries where it is illegal to be gay is actually a 'good thing' for the Pride Match."

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Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty images

The activism does not stop at gay pride for the Seattle group. It will also celebrate Juneteenth for one of the games. Juneteenth was first recognized by President Biden to celebrate the end of slavery annually on June 19.

A Group D match between the United States and Australia will take place in Seattle that day.

"Having the U.S. Team playing in Seattle on Juneteenth creates a high-visibility, high-responsibility moment to introduce hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide to Juneteenth and to create benefit for local Black-owned businesses and arts and cultural organizations," the organizers said on their website.

For that match, the group created another committee called the Juneteenth Advisory Committee.

Editor's note: The headline of this article has been edited after publication for clarity.

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