Seattle World Cup Game Will Be Gay As Hell, Despite Complaints From Egypt And Iran

Seattle’s June 26 FIFA World Cup game will still be gay as fuck despite complaints from soccer federations in Egypt and Iran. 

Earlier this year, Seattle’s World Cup organizing committee announced it would designate the game on June 26 as the “Seattle Pride Match," complete with queer-centered community programming surrounding the stadium.

“As hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of viewers turn their attention to Seattle during Pride Weekend, we have a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact—one that educates the world, inspires our LGBTQ+ community, and uplifts LGBTQ+ businesses and cultural organizations,” the organizing committee explained on its website. 

At the time of the announcement, FIFA had not announced what teams would play in this specific slot. But shortly after FIFA assigned Egypt and Iran, soccer federations in both countries threw a wet blanket over the festivities. 

Iran’s soccer federation slammed the Pride branding as "irrational" and in violation of the organization's expectation of neutrality on political and social issues.

The Egyptian soccer federation said it “completely rejects” the Seattle Pride Match and urged FIFA to put the kibosh on any gay shit to “avoid activities that may trigger cultural and religious sensitivity between the presented spectators of both countries, Egypt and Iran, especially as such activities contradict the cultures and religions of the two countries.”

FIFA, which has not responded publicly to the complaints from the soccer federations in Egypt or Iran, has not been a very strong ally to the queers historically. In 2022, FIFA tried to enforce heterosexuality at a game featuring Qatar. That year, World Cup Security detained a sports reporter for wearing a rainbow t-shirt to a Qatar game, confiscated fans gay garb, and FIFA threatened to issue yellow cards to captains wearing OneLove armbands to signal their support of queer people during the game. 

But FIFA doesn’t have formal control over surrounding community events. Seattle’s FIFA organizing team said they are not caving. The organizing committee’s spokesperson, Hana Tadesse, said the committee is "moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament."

"Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs," Tadesse said. "The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation's largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we're hosting in Seattle. We're committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region."

And I have a pretty good feeling that the soccer federations’ objections will only make Seattle gays go harder that pride weekend. Regardless of what happens in the stadium under FIFA’s watch or at the non-affiliated Seattle Pride Match events, Seattlites will be celebrating the queer community in every corner of the city that weekend.