Egypt, Iran fans mix with protesters and pride flags in latest Seattle match

Friday night’s World Cup soccer match in Seattle between Egypt and Iran that ended 1-1 was colorful, in every sense of the word.

Hours before the evening match, fans and demonstrators of all sorts waved flags outside the stadium: Egypt and Iran national flags to cheer on teams set to play. Rainbow flags to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride. Lion-and-sun flags to protest Iran’s Islamic Republic regime.

All that before the game even kicked off, with a roar from the crowd.

Iran’s fans chanted as the game got underway but Egypt’s team took hold of the play right away and scored within minutes, sending much of the stadium into wild applause. Then Iran equalized and the stadium exploded in sound again.

It got even louder just before the final whistle, when Iran scored a winning goal and then had it overturned on an offsides call. 

“People around us were screaming for all different reasons,” neutral spectator Brad Calbick from Spokane said afterward, marveling at the thrilling last moments of the game as disappointed Iran fans and smiling Egypt fans filed out.

With Egypt primed to advance to the knockout stage in the FIFA Men’s World Cup, there was a lot on the line for Iran, which sought a win to guarantee advancement in the tournament.

But the city’s latest World Cup contest was also particularly anticipated for the politics surrounding it.

Seattle’s host committee designated the game its “Pride Match” when dates but no teams had been announced. Then the national soccer teams of Egypt and Iran — where being LGBTQ+ is criminalized — were announced as the competitors. And then the U.S. joined Israel in a war against Iran, exacerbating fractures among Iranian Americans, who approached the match with feelings that ranged from anger to wariness to joy. 

Leading up to the match, many spectators were unsure what Friday would bring, and the background to the game generated headlines worldwide. On Thursday, a masked person was chased and appeared to be arrested by Seattle police for painting over a mural of the Iranian flag.

But Seattle’s pregame Pride celebrations seemed to go ahead largely without incident, despite earlier objections by Egyptian and Iranian officials.

Iran’s team made its way to the match and played, despite travel complications involving President Donald Trump’s administration.

And the stadium filled up with fans of many types, even as some Iranian Americans protested the Islamic Republic regime outside and Christian street preachers railed through amplifiers. While there were likely more Egypt fans in the stands, there was still plenty of support for Iran.

Nestor Medina came all the way from Mexico City because he wanted to play tourist in Seattle, and more important, because he loves soccer. Tickets were too expensive and hard to come by back home.

Medina was rooting for Iran because they were the underdog. This is his first ever World Cup match and he says it has a special energy. Why does he love soccer and the cup?

“Because you can experience all the emotions. Love and anger. Togetherness,” said Medina, 35, wearing Mexico soccer gear.

‘A historic match’

Despite the roller coaster of news related to Pride festivities leading up to the game, there was only a modest presence of people celebrating Pride both inside and outside the stadium. 

Still, some showed up with plenty of Pride spirit. 

Sam, an Iranian American, wore a colorful ensemble for the match, including an “Iranian with Pride” shirt, rainbow wig and tasseled face mask.

He came up from San Francisco with a friend specifically because of the Pride Match day celebrations. As an openly gay man, Sam — who asked that his last name not be used because of fears for his family back in Iran — said it was important to show up.

“It’s a historic match,” said Sam, who immigrated to the U.S. from Iran when he was 23. “I’m so grateful for the freedom in the United States that gave me a new home to freely express who I am.”

Just steps away, Li Nowlin-Sohl and her friends sipped drinks ahead of the game, sporting custom Pride-themed shirts that read “Love Wins” in Arabic, English and Farsi on the front and “No Iran War” on the back. 

“It’s just a lovely convergence of LGBTQ celebration and rights and sports,” said Nowlin-Sohl, who was a member of the advisory committee for Pride Match day festivities.

For those who couldn’t snag a ticket to see the game in person, Seattle’s host committee organized a number of official rainbow-drenched watch parties for visitors and locals, where they passed out scarves and flags.

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Protests outside stadium

Fans squeezing their way along Occidental Avenue South to get into the stadium or sipping pregame beers found themselves face-to-face with the political repercussions of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran. 

The typical cacophony of an international sporting event was punctuated with hours of chanting from a large group of Iranians and Iranian Americans near the stadium protesting the human rights abuses of the Islamic Republic regime and calling for the return of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. 

Waving lion-and-sun flags and chanting phrases like “Hey hey ho ho Islamic regime must go” and “Shame on FIFA,” the group engaged in several tense exchanges with fans carrying Iran’s current national flag or Palestinian flags.  

Karla Mohtashemi, a Seattle resident and board member of Washington-based antiregime advocacy group Voice of Iran, said the Iran national team represents the oppressive government she hopes to see replaced, calling them the “regime team.”

“Soccer is one of the most beloved sports in Iran, but they can’t even play soccer (there) without feeling the sadness, the overwhelming sadness” over the Iranian government’s actions, she said.  

Meanwhile, others in the Iranian diaspora watched the protest warily as they made their way to the match. 

Shahab Aftahi and his daughter Elana Aftahi flew into Seattle with a large group of family members, after having cheered on the Iran national team earlier in the tournament in Inglewood, Calif. 

“I see people saying this is the IRGC team, I think that’s giving the IRGC too much credit,” said Elana Aftahi, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a politically powerful military force in Iran. “This has always been a national team to win the hearts of the people. They represent us.”

Some fans who had managed to bring in lion-and-sun flags into the stadium were told by FIFA volunteers to put them away, as they were not allowed. There appeared to be a larger security presence inside the stadium Friday compared to Wednesday’s Seattle match between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar.

Just blocks away, another protest was underway, as a group of people played a game of pick up soccer to call for Israel’s removal from FIFA events.

‘In good spirits’

To be sure, plenty of fans walked into Seattle Stadium focused on the soccer, watching the chaotic scene outside with mild curiosity or amusement.  

Mixed in with Iran, Egypt and other World Cup national team jerseys, a decent number of fans flocking to Seattle Stadium were wearing Liverpool FC kits in a nod to Egyptian and Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah.

A reminder that this is a soccer tournament, after all, not just a political event.

Mary and Joe Youssef, Egyptian immigrants from Portland wearing pharaonic fan garb, said they are trying to steer clear of the politics playing out in Seattle streets this afternoon.

“We wish to win,” said Joe Youssef, who also remarked on how nice everyone in Seattle has been to them.

Others saw the chaotic scene outside the stadium as extra flavor for their World Cup experience. 

Tim Esraeel, along with his father, Hany, and brother, Joseph, came up from Orange County, Calif., to watch Egypt play. Their family watched the Pharaohs play back in 2017 in Egypt, a legendary game in which the team qualified for a spot in the 2018 World Cup.

“It’s been great today, a lot of cultures, a lot of people, the vibes have been really great,” Tim Esraeel said, wearing an Egypt-themed cowboy hat.

Tim Parker and Danny Torres came from Colorado.

It was a welcome coincidence that they nabbed tickets for Seattle’s Pride Match after they applied through FIFA for multiple games, the couple said. They didn’t know which team to root for so they painted both Iran and Egypt flags on their cheeks and carried rainbow flags.

“Everyone has been in good spirits,” Parker said.

Seattle Times staff reporters Olivia Petty and Sofia Schwarzwalder contributed to this story.