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
National Championship Rivals Become Seattle Seahawks Teammates
The last time Michigan’s A.J. Barner and Washington’s Jack Westover stepped onto a football field, they were on opposite sides of the National Championship on Jan. 8. But now, they are teammates together in the tight end room for the Seattle Seahawks.
Michigan pulled out the win, giving Barner the championship. And he’s the one more likely to see the field first as a fourth-round draft pick, but he’s very excited to team up with the undrafted former Husky.
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines linebacker Ernest Hausmann (15) and defensive
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
“Jack’s (Westover) my guy,” Barner said at rookie minicamp. “We were able to hangout during the pre-draft process too, just chop it up, talk ball and get to know each other too. He knows Seattle well and the state, he’s from here so even outside of football getting the lay of the land, it’ll be great to be with him.”
There is a world now where Barner and Westover can co-exist. Barner is more of a blocking tight end at 6-6, but Westover had more receiving yards and was used as a receiving weapon more often in college. In his last season at Washington, he had 46 receptions for 433 yards and four touchdowns. Only wide receivers Rome Odunze, who was taken No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bears, and Ja’Lynn Polk, the No. 37 overall pick by the New England Patriots, had more catches for the Huskies last season.
The fact that they already have a built-in chemistry gives them a head start as they navigate their first offseason together as pros in the NFL, and that could be what helps them to see the field alongside one another, instead of on opposite sidelines, this fall.
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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