Seattle, WA – June 30, 2026 – I initially had reservations about this year’s World Cup. I was frustrated that the Iranian team was not allowed to have its Team Base Camp in the U.S. All three of the Iranian team’s Group Stage matches are in the U.S. The Iranian team was permitted to have their Team Base Camp in Mexico. Thus, the Iranian team must cross the U.S. border for each of their Group Stage matches and then return to Mexico after each match.
Moreover, a referee from Somalia, Omar Artan, was denied entry into the U.S. and consequently isn’t officiating any World Cup matches. Reasons were not publicly given, but this sounded suspicious at best.
Despite my apprehension, I started watching. From the opening match, I was hooked!
With many of the World Cup matches, I would go in without knowing which team to root for. However, I am more likely to cheer for underdogs. Therefore, I was beyond thrilled when a country I wasn’t familiar with, Cape Verde, tied 0-0 with powerhouse Spain. This earned the third least populated country its first World Cup match point!
During the first three matches, referred to as the group stage, teams earn one match point for a tie. Cape Verde captivated soccer enthusiasts and generated even more fans with their first-ever match goal and eventual draw against Uruguay.
The Democratic Republic of Congo pulled off a stunning match against favored Portugal, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.
During the Paraguay/Turkiye match, Paraguay scored early. Turkiye made repeated impressive attempts to equalize the score, but Paraguay held on. The announcer referred to the Paraguay team as the plucky Paraguayans.
On Sunday evening in downtown Seattle, after World Cup play had begun, I heard chanting in a language I didn’t recognize and the banging of drums. I assumed it was supporters of a team that had just won its match. However, I soon realized that it was a group of Egyptian fans getting pumped up for their match in Seattle the following day.
Egypt’s second match against New Zealand took place in Vancouver, Canada, and I watched it from Seattle’s Occidental Park. Fans of the Egyptian team were out in force, singing the Egyptian national anthem. One attendee commemorated the start of the match by using his bullhorn. They erupted when their team scored to tie the match, and the eruption was amplified by Egypt’s go-ahead goal, followed by goal #3. Wow!
When I arrived at the Seattle Center Armory for one of the matches, I realized the broadcast was in Spanish. Since the match had already started, I chose to stick around through the first half. The space wasn’t packed, but there was a decent number of people present. I enjoyed listening to different announcers in a foreign language. I didn’t understand what they were saying, but the energy from the announcers was still palpable.
Visually, the overhead clock looked different. In soccer, the clock doesn’t stop every time there’s a break in play. So, at the end of the half and the end of the match, extra time gets added back in. During matches on the US English-language broadcast, there’s one clock with time added to the end of each half. This means the clock continues from the 45-minute mark, going up to 50 or more minutes. On the Spanish-language broadcast, the clock stops at 45 minutes, and there’s a second clock underneath counting up from zero.
One of the matches I watched was Mexico versus the Republic of Korea. The Seattle Center Armory was packed! During halftime, a mariachi band and dancers performed.
When the Mexican team scored, fans screamed, jumped up and down, and embraced. I discovered an even bigger crowd just outside at the Mural Amphitheatre. The Amphitheater crowd also included a lot of fans of the Republic of Korea soccer team.
Even the lead-up to the USA/Australia match in Seattle was chaotic. More than an hour before the match started, the Mural Amphitheater was packed, as were the restaurants, bars, and other viewing areas. Although everyone I encountered was very pro-USA, I didn’t witness any negativity toward Australia.
The only booing I heard all day was when a broadcast camera panned in on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Later that day, Brazilian fans were dancing, singing, and drumming in Occidental Square after their victory over Haiti. Nearby, fans gathered in a circle, kicking around a soccer ball.
The World Cup, where sometimes a goal is a win, a draw is a victory, and the celebration unites.
Where to Watch & Celebrate in Seattle:
- Pacific Place – Catch the action on a massive 70-foot LED screen!
- Pitch on the Pier – A custom-built miniature soccer pitch floating barge on the scenic waters of Elliott Bay off Pier 62 with a giant 100-foot LED screen, DJs, food trucks, and stadium seating.
- Seattle Center Armory
The next FIFA World Cup game in Seattle is a Round of 32 knockout match between Belgium and Senegal on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. This will be the fifth of six matches at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field).
The final Seattle match is scheduled for Monday, July 6, 2026 at 5 PM for the Round of 16 Knockout game.
About the World Cup
FIFA World Cup, the premier international soccer (association football) tournament is held every four years, it brings together 48 national teams from around the globe to compete for the sport’s highest honor.
- The men’s world cup runs through July 20th.
- The women’s world cup runs June 24 – July 25, 2027.
The United States National Women’s Team is the most successful team in the history of the Fifa Women’s World Cup with four trophies won in: 1991 (China), 1999 (United States), 2015 (Canada) and 2019 (France).
The United States National Men’s Team has yet to win a title.
About the Author: Kathy Biscardi is a Seattle based freelance writer who enjoys sports and live music. You can find more of her work on Be Your Own Unicorn on Substack.
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