Seattle’s LGBTQ community members say they hope that this Friday’s World Cup “Pride Match” between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is criminalized, can be an opportunity to change minds.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Sounders vs. PSG: Preview, Predictions and Lineups
Despite succumbing to a stunning defeat last time out, Paris Saint-Germain will book their place in the Club World Cup round of 16 with a victory over the Seattle Sounders on Monday.
Luis Enrique only made a couple of changes from the team that thumped Atlético Madrid for their clash with South American champions Botafogo, and they were stifled by Renato Paiva’s side in a 1–0 defeat.
There’s no reason for panic, though, with PSG expected to cruise into the knockout stages. The Sounders have so far acquitted themselves pretty well at the tournament, but the gulf between these two teams is seismic. The MLS side haven’t been eliminated just yet, but they require a miracle to advance.
Only a victory of at least three goals over the UEFA Champions League winners and a win for Botafogo over Atléti will see Seattle into the next phase. PSG, meanwhile, will likely top the group should they triumph at Lumen Field and Botafogo are beaten.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to this Club World Cup fixture.
Seattle Sounders vs. PSG Head-to-Head Record
This is the first competitive fixture Seattle Sounders and PSG.
Current Form (all competitions)
|
Seattle Sounders |
PSG |
|---|---|
|
Seattle Sounders 1–3 Atlético Madrid – 19/06/25 |
PSG 0–1 Botafogo – 19/06/25 |
|
Botafoga 2–1 Seattle Sounders – 15/06/25 |
PSG 4–0 Atlético Madrid –15/06/25 |
|
Vancouver Whitecaps 3–0 Seattle Sounders – 09/06/25 |
PSG 5–0 Inter – 31/05/25 |
|
Seattle Sounders 2–3 Minnesota United – 01/06/25 |
PSG 3–0 Reims – 24/05/25 |
|
Seattle Sounders 1–0 San Diego FC – 29/05/25 |
PSG 3–1 Auxerre – 17/05/36 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United States |
DAZN |
|
United Kingdom |
DAZN |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
|
Mexico |
DAZN |
Catch every FIFA Club World Cup match live and on-demand
Center back Yeimar Gómez entered the tournament carrying a knock and hasn’t played a part in Seattle’s opening two fixtures. Kim Hee-kim was also an injury concern on Matchday 1 but started against Botafogo. He returned to the bench last time out, however.
Stuart Russell Hawkins should miss out again, while Kalani Kossa-Rienzi was forced off late on Matchday 2. Paul Arriola is a long-term absentee.
Albert Rusnák has been the star of Seattle’s 2025 MLS campaign, and the creative midfielder was on the scoresheet in the defeat to Atléti. He’ll aim to inspire a major upset from a number ten position.
Seattle Sounders predicted lineup vs. PSG (4-2-3-1): Frei; Roldan, Bell, Ragen, Baker-Whiting; Roldan, Vargas; De La Vega, Rusnák, Kent; Ferreira.
PSG undoubtedly felt the absence of Ousmané Dembélé against Botafogo, with Enrique again opting for Gonçalo Ramos up top. While Dembélé, who’s struggling with a thigh injury, is likely to be preserved for the knockout stages—assuming the European champions progress—there could be a change to their frontline.
Bradley Barcola was utilised as PSG’s false nine in their 2–1 victory over Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals, and the winger could perform a similar role on Monday.
Nuno Mendes, Marquinhos, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz should all return to the starting XI.
PSG predicted lineup vs. Seattle Sounders (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Vitinha, Neves, Fabián; Doué, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia
PSG lacked a bit of punch against a resilient Botafogo, with the Brazilians’ stunning triumph likely to serve as a wake-up call for the European champions.
They may be without Dembélé again, but Enrique is otherwise expected to name a full-strength team against the Sounders. They’re poised to bounce back on Monday.
While Seattle have performed admirably in their two defeats at the tournament, PSG are a class above and they’re bound to be swept aside without laying a glove on the French behemoths.
Prediction: Seattle Sounders 0–3 PSG
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READ THE LATEST CLUB WORLD CUP NEWS, PREVIEWS AND ANALYSIS
Seattle, WA
Iran and Egypt to play in Seattle ‘Pride Match’ despite earlier complaints | The Jerusalem Post
Seattle revels in its reputation as a welcoming place and Pride flags are visible all over the city, all year round. Its June Pride weekend is one of the biggest in the United States.
So, ahead of December’s World Cup draw, it was only natural that local organizers designated the June 26 match to be held in the city as a “Pride Match.”
Then the draw happened — and the two teams scheduled to play the game were Egypt and Iran.
Egypt’s Football Association urged global soccer governing body FIFA to prevent any Pride-related activities, arguing such events clashed with the Muslim-majority country’s cultural and religious values. The governing body in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry the death penalty, filed an objection with FIFA.
Some in Seattle have doubts over the teams in the ‘Pride Match’
But in Seattle, there is no question that the Pride Match will go ahead as planned.
“The World Cup is going to come and go in three weeks,” Hedda McLendon, from Seattle’s local World Cup organizing committee, told Reuters. “The Pride celebration … has happened on this weekend for 50-plus years.
“It is going to happen this weekend, it is going to happen long after the World Cup.”
Some in the city’s LGBTQ community had mixed feelings given the participants, said Jon Cairns, 49, manager of local LGBTQ+ club Kremwerk.
Cairns, however, said his own view was that it provided a platform to promote acceptance that only the world’s biggest sporting event could offer.
“My reaction is let’s have them,” he told Reuters. “International sports is one of the biggest brokers historically of social change and individual rights and freedoms worldwide, including in the U.S.”
He cited black U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ raised-fist protest in 1968 as moments where “only international sports could reach that big of an audience.”
“They’re not going to turn off the World Cup on state television in Iran or Egypt to block out a Pride flag in the audience,” Cairns said.
The Pride Match is “a host city initiative” and separate of FIFA, a spokesperson for soccer’s governing body told Reuters.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community sees an opportunity
Egypt and Iran’s involvement in the Pride Match is not the first time the World Cup has grappled with stark differences in attitudes between hosts and visitors.
In 2022 World Cup host Qatar, the emir said visitors should “respect our culture” when asked about gay people attending the tournament.
FIFA threatened yellow cards for captains wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing its rules against political slogans. Teams including England and the Netherlands that had been planning to wear the armbands to protest Qatar’s laws against same-sex relationships abandoned the plan.
For Ryan Webster, a 40-year-old lifestyle manager who was at Kremwerk the weekend before Pride, Seattle’s “Pride Match” was an opportunity to show solidarity with people in countries where their sexuality was outlawed.
“I’m choosing to believe that this is our moment to allow the members of the LGBTQ community that come from those countries to have the opportunity to celebrate themselves in totality that they might not have otherwise,” he said outside the club, which will host a watch party for Friday’s game.
Inside, ‘Venus Fengz’ lip-synced to Cher’s “Believe” before introducing fellow drag performers to the stage, clapped and cheered by a raucous crowd.
Fengz, who only wanted to provide their stage name, said Pride coinciding with the World Cup would bring increased visibility, anticipating perhaps some new audience members.
“I think it’s always great for us to be able to share space and share places with people who don’t have the same experiences as us,” they told Reuters.
“Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person and show grace where you can and know that everyone is a human learning (from) different experiences, but also it can get hard — because you’re on the shorter end of the stick, always trying to have to explain yourself around people who don’t grow up with the same worldview.”
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Las Vegas could be years away from landing an NBA expansion team, but the league’s commissioner is now offering a clearer sense of the timeline.
On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told “The Dan Patrick Show” that Seattle and Las Vegas remain the cities the NBA is focused on if it expands. “If we expand, at least we’re thinking ’28-29 season,” Silver said.
Silver had previously signaled before that March meeting that Seattle and Las Vegas were at the center of the expansion discussion, while cautioning that no decision had been made.
“We will make decisions in 2026,” Silver said in February.
At the time, Silver said the league was not expected to vote in March but could emerge from those meetings ready to take the next step and begin discussions with potential ownership groups.
Las Vegas has long been viewed as Seattle’s most likely expansion partner if the NBA grows from 30 to 32 teams. Silver, however, has repeatedly said the league could expand by two teams, one team, or not at all.
The potential of an NBA Las Vegas expansion team has already drawn interest. This week, majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bill Foley, announced he is putting together a bid for the expansion team in Las Vegas.
World Cup fans land in Seattle for first Belgium-Egypt game
Fans from around the globe arrived in Seattle for the FIFA World Cup matchup between Belgium and Egypt Monday, June 15 — the first of six games to be played at the downtown Seattle Stadium.
Soccer fans waiting for affordable World Cup tickets might be in luck this week.
Two games in Seattle — Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar (12 p.m. PT), Egypt vs. Iran (8 p.m. PT) — are dipping well below the $1,000 minimum price for Seattle’s first two games.
After an opening tie between Egypt and Belgium and a dominant 2-0 USA win over Australia, the city welcomes four more teams this week to finish out group play at the 2026 World Cup in Seattle.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the final group stage matches.
How much are tickets for the Bosnia vs. Qatar game in Seattle?
Tickets for the next World Cup match in Seattle start at $380, and $276 via FIFA.
How can I watch the Bosnia vs. Qatar game?
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Date: June 24, 2026
- Kickoff: 12 p.m. PT
- TV: FS1
- Streaming: FOX One, Peacock
When are the remaining World Cup games in Seattle?
- Wednesday, June 24, 12 p.m. PT (Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar) – Shop tickets
- Friday, June 26, 8 p.m. PT (Egypt vs. Iran) – Shop tickets
- Wednesday, July 1 (Round of 32 match) – Shop tickets
- Monday, July 6 (Round of 16 match) – Shop tickets
Seattle ticket prices by game
- Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar (June 24, 12 p.m. PT): starting at $380, $276 via FIFA
- Egypt vs. Iran (June 26, 8 p.m. PT): starting at $630, $529 via FIFA
- Round of 32 match (July 1): starting at $1,119, $977.04 via FIFA
- Round of 16 match (July 6): starting at $3,011, $3,393 via FIFA
Where can I buy FIFA World Cup tickets?
Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network’s Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.
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Iran and Egypt to play in Seattle ‘Pride Match’ despite earlier complaints | The Jerusalem Post
