Kazakhstan claims the Blind Soccer International Tournament title at Seattle's Interbay Stadium following the first such 5v5 competition in the Pacific Northwest. The round-robin tournament is swept by Kazakhstan by defeating Peru, 1-0, after opening with a 0-0 draw against the United States. Peru defeated the U.S., 4-0, in the first game a day earlier. The tournament kickboards are later donated to the Visa Street Soccer Park in Tacoma by Seattle FWC26.

Ameera Hussen bags a brace to pace Salmon Bay to a 3-0 victory over Orange County's Capo FC for the W League Western Conference crown at Interbay. Samiah Shell scores the first and finds Hussen for a header in the 42nd minute. Hussen's second, at 80', ices it. The Coho squeezed past the Colorado Storm, 0-0 (5-4), in a West semifinal two days earlier. Elena Milam made two shootout saves.

Despite a record performance and five-match unbeaten run to finish the season, the Spokane Zephyr is denied a USL Super League playoff berth by the slimmest of margins. For a few hours, the Zephyr’s 4-0 home win over Brooklyn puts them in fourth place, only to have Dallas regain the final postseason slot with a win. It is the biggest winning margin in the club’s first two years, and Lena Silano scores her team-high seventh goal in the final minutes. Starting April three games under .500, Spokane goes 4-0-1 down the stretch to finish 10-9-9, one point behind Dallas.

A 9-foot-tall silicon bronze sculpture commemorating Seattle welcoming the world ahead of the FIFA World Cup is unveiled at Lumen Field's North Plaza. 'Vital Spirit' is the work of Seattle artist Gerard Tsutakawa. It depicts an abstract figure standing on two legs, one with gentle curves, the other with angular edges. They conjoin at the top in a circle which symbolizes the unity of the world.

Goals five minutes apart boosted Bosnia-Herzegovina to a 3-1 win over Qatar and clinching a berth in the second round. A surprise qualifier after shootout playoff wins over Italy and Wales, Bosnia-Herzegovina again faced the prospect of elimination in its third group stage match. But in the 29th minute, 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegović unleashed a rocket to the upper right corner from 22 yards. In the 34th, 40-year-old Eden Džeko’s cross was deflected into the net for an own goal. Hassan Al-Haydos pulls Qatar a goal back just before halftime, but Ermin Mahmić seals the historic victory with nine minutes left.

Ratings for the USA-Belgium match in Seattle indicate it was the most watched non-NFL sporting event of the 21st Century in the United States. The combined audience on Fox (English language) and Telemundo and Peacock (Spanish) was 50.1 million, including 33 million on Fox. It was the most watched soccer telecast in U.S. history, according to the network. USA-Bosnia & Herzegovina drew 26M.

A re-energized Belgium capitalizes on U.S. mistakes and moves into the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals with a 4-1 victory that all but quiets 66,925 in Seattle. The Red Devils, who avoided elimination in the same stadium five days earlier by scoring twice again Senegal in the final five minutes of regulation, carry that momentum into the round of 16. They get two doorstep goals from Charles De Ketelaere in the first 33 minutes, the second coming two minutes after Malik Tillman's deflected free kick ties it, 1-1. The U.S. is tentative and sloppy through much of the first half. When keeper Matt Freese miskicks his clearance attempt, Hans Vanaken strokes it into an open net in the 57th minute for a 3-1 lead. In added time, Romelu Lukaku applies the final dagger. The USMNT, which had been 8-0-0 all-time in competitive match at Seattle, exits in the round of 16 for the fourth time since 2002.

Obed Vargas makes his World Cup debut for Mexico less than five months after moving from the Sounders to Atlético Madrid. Vargas, 20, enters as a substitute in the 71st minute versus South Korea and later forces a save. He also sees action vs. the Czech Republic and Ecuador as El Tri reach the round of 16.

On World Cancer Day 2026, Kasey Keller reveals that he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010, between his second and third seasons with the Sounders. Keller, 56, also notes that he is in full remission. In 2010, an MRI for a hip injury led to Keller's initial cancer diagnosis. After completing his storied career in 2011, he experienced weight loss and swollen lymph nodes in 2017, with his diagnosis changing to large B cell lymphoma. Keller was among the first people to try the new drug Breyanzi in 2021. The results were immediate: Keller was in remission within two months.

Jimmy Gabriel, Kasey Keller and Sigi Schmid become the first three individuals elected to the Eternal Sounders Circle of Legends, with each passing the 75 percent voting threshold. They will be enshrined during a ceremony prior to the July 16 match vs. Portland. They join the Sounders inaugural 1974 team, honored in 2024 as part of the club’s 50th anniversary celebration. Gabriel, Keller and Schmid chosen by the nomination committee last summer, with voting taking place in October 2025. Casting ballots were Sounders FC Alliance members and Alliance Council representatives, Sounders alumni, SFC ownership and staff, and Seattle soccer media.

Seattle Reign’s 5,000-mile round trip to Orlando results in a season-opening win, 2-1, amidst numerous weather and travel delays. Heavy thunderstorms at halftime delay the restart by nearly three hours. The trip began with a four-hour flight delay due to snow at SeaTac International. Returning home, multiple commercial flights home were canceled over 36 hours before a charter flight was arranged. The Reign played at Portland 72 hours after arriving home.

Hundreds from the University of Washington and greater soccer community gather inside Alaska Airlines Arena to honor and remember UW goalkeeper Mia Hamant, who died in November. She was 21. Many in attendance wear orange clothing and orange ribbons, the color of kidney cancer awareness.

Major League Soccer unveils the plans for its 2027 transition to a global-conforming schedule. A "sprint season" of 14 intra-conference matches will run from February to April, followed by single-elimination playoffs and the MLS Cup final in May. the first full season using the new calendar will begin in July 2027 and finish – following a winter break – with the MLS Cup final in May 2028.

In a 2A boys'championship game pitting two unbeaten teams, Bainbridge completes a perfect season (26-0-0) by clipping Squalicum in a shootout, 1-1 (3-1). Cooper Harrington saves three of the penalties he faces. Maddox Strickland puts Squalicum (21-1-1) ahead early with his 39th goal. Ryder Mortensen ties it early in the second period.

Seattle's Sally Menti caps a magical 10 months by earning her first international cap. Menti, who made the Seattle Reign's 2025 squad as a trialist, debuts for the United State as a second-half substitute along with the Reigh's Maddie Dahlien in a 6-0 friendly win over Paraguay in Carson, Ca.

U.S. Soccer announces that the U.S. Women's National Team is returning to Seattle on April 14. Unlike past USWNT fixtures at Lumen Field, this one will be played on the grass installed for the upcoming 20226 FIFA World Cup. The last women's international played on grass in Seattle was the 2002 Gold Cup at Safeco Field.

Getting a late, late winner from Osaze De Rosario, the Sounders beat league-leading San Jose, 3-2, to complete a season sweep of the Earthquakes, whose only losses have come to Seattle. It extends the record home unbeaten streak to 22 (16-0-6) and matches, and the Sounders are undefeated in nine games (6-0-3) overall), despite a rash of injuries. goals on either side of halftime by Albert Rusnak (penalty) and a long, spectacular solo effort from Jesus Ferreira erase an early Quakes goal. De Rosario's 89' header is his second off the bench.

A Spokane City Council agenda inadvertently confirms that Egypt has chosen Gonzaga's Luger Field as its World Cup training base. Mohamed Salah and his team are scheduled to play group stage matches June 15 and 26 in Seattle. During the spring Luger Field underwent renovations, including a new FIFA-standard sod surface in anticipation of becoming a national team training base.

Seattle Soccer Celebration, a custom-built soccer pitch constructed atop a barge, will be positioned alongside Waterfront Park at Pier 62 throughout the World Cup. The Sounders, Reign and Rave Foundation announce the barge will also feature giant viewing screens and other spaces enclosed in a theater-type setting by shipping containers along the sides. Although there will be Rave Foundation and youth events, it will primarily be a premium ticketed space that can accommodate up to 500. Pier 62 will remain a free public fan zone, one of four around the city during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A monumental comeback in the final five minutes of regulation is capped in the dying stages of extra time as Belgium stuns Senegal, 3-2, in a World Cup Round of 32 knockout match in Seattle. Youri Tielemans scores from the penalty spot at 120+5’ after tying the match with a header in the 89th minute. It’s just the second time in the last 11 World Cups that a team trailed a knockout round game by multiple goals after halftime and advanced. Belgium also erased a 2-nil deficit to defeat Japan 3-2 in 2018’s round of 16. Senegal seems on its way to the upset following goals by Habib Diarra, a rebound off the post at 24’, and Ismalia Sarr, on a 50-yard ball from Moussa Niakhate. Romelu Lukaku ignites the rally in the 86th minute on a first-time finish from 5 yards. Tielemans is tripped by a defender in the 118th minute. A VAR review leads him to the spot for the winner. Tieleman's penalty kick is the latest goal scored in the tournament's 96-year history.

Mercer Island becomes the first 3A boys' team to repeat as state champion following a 1-0 decision vs. Shorewood in a replay of the 2025 title contest. The game's only goal comes from sophomore defender Dylan Jones in the 16th minute. Adam Kiviat earns the shutout. It's the sole loss for the Stormrays (21-1-1). The Islanders (16-2-1) win their final 15 games for their third crown in five seasons.

In a winner-take-all regular season finale, Salmon Bay comes from behind to win the W League Northwest Division over Snohomish United, 2-1, at Interbay Stadium. Outshot 11-1 in the first half, first-year Snohomish nabs the opener through Elora Franklin, 30 seconds into the second half. A Coho set piece at 59’ enables Ameera Hussen's equalizer. Following numerous shots off the woodwork, Ginny Lackey curls the 80' winner from top of the box.

The first U.S. Women's National Team visit to Seattle since 2017 attracts 36,128 to Lumen Field, a record Washington attendance for a women's sporting event. Japan keeps the crowd relatively quiet in winning the friendly, 1-0, played in a steady rain over a younger USWNT lineup. It's the first U.S. loss for in 2026 after winning 10 in a row. Ex-Reign members Phallon-Tullis-Joyce and Emily Sonnett started, but current Seattle keeper Claudia Dickey is held out. It is the first match played on a newly-installed grass surface for the World Cup.

The NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee adopts legislation to change the sport’s playing season to two semesters, effective Aug. 1, 2027. The D1 Cabinet will review the matter in June before final approval. D1 programs would play up to 18 matches in the fall, between late August until the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Spring play would run from mid-February until NCAA tournament play begins in April, with a maximum of 10 more regular season contests and a combined total not to exceed 25. The College Cup would move to May. No other divisions would be affected.

A playing surface grown in Washington's Grant County is underfoot for the first FIFA World Cup match at Los Angeles, United States vs. Paraguay (4-1). Desert Green Turf in Moses Lake is one of a handful of elite sod providers worldwide that specializes in the method preferred by high-end tournaments such as the FWC. It's a hybrid sod on plastic that's about 90 percent natural grass. Seattle's surface is also sourced from Desert Green Turf.

A Spokane record sell-out crowd of 5,126 at One Spokane Stadium sees the Seattle Sounders defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1 (5-1 aggregate), in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16. It is the first Sounders competitive match of any iteration played east of the Cascades. Peter Kingston, on a short-term loan from Tacoma Defiance, assists on late second-half goals four minutes apart by Danny Musovski and Paul Rothrock.

The Sounders' 2026 opener versus Colorado is extended to 61 minutes by referee Malik Badawi in what proves to be the longest recorded regulation home match of two hours, six minutes. The Sounders, who lead 1-0 at halftime, proceed to win, 2-0. It is surpassed only by a lightning-delayed game at Houston (2:57) in 2023. Multiple Video Reviews and injury substitutions are the culprit. VAR reverses a second Seattle goal (later determined by PRO to be an incorrect judgment) and rescinds a red card issued to the Rapids' Noah Cobb.

A vibrant, vocal throng of 66,775 is thrilled by end-to-end action despite 86-degree heat and an appropriate, 1-1 draw between Belgium and Egypt in Seattle's inaugural FIFA World Cup match. The crowd, much it clad in the red of both sides and the region's eighth-largest for soccer, produces a thunderous roar when Eman Shour's 22-yard drive past Thibaut Courtois opens the scoring after 20 minutes, following a pass by Pharaohs legend Mohamed Salah. Belgium, ranked 10th on the planet, brings on legendary Romelu Lukaku in the 66th minute. Twenty-two seconds later he induces an equalizing own goal as he charges to meet a low cross by Thomas Meunier.

Seattle caps a stretch of five straight road matches by winning, 1-0, at Houston on Paul Rothrock's goal with 7 minutes to go. Cristian Roldan becomes only the second Sounder to reach 400 appearances, joining Stefan Frei. While Lumen Field underwent World Cup renovations, the Rave Green went 3-1-1 away.

Behind senior Aaron Leon's second-half hat trick, Eastmont of East Wenatchee pulls away to bring the WIAA 4A boys' championship back to the east side of the state for the first time in eight years. The Wildcats beat Sumner, 3-1, for their first title. Leon also scored three goals in the 3-0 semifinal win over Lincoln of Seattle. Eastmont wins its final eight games by a combined score of 42-8.

A long sought-after wish to play in Europe is realized for Obed Vargas when the 20-year-old midfielder moves from the Sounders to Atlético Madrid for a reported record $4 million, plus a 20 percent sell-on fee. Since becoming the third-youngest (15 years, 351 days) player in MLS history in 2021, Vargas became a Seattle fixture over five seasons and 129 appearances. He makes his Atléti debut on Feb. 5.

Everett's City Council votes 6-1 to approve an extra $10.6 million toward completing the planning phase of a new downtown stadium for a USL team and baseball. First approved by the council in 2022, the ballpark is expected to break ground in September and be completed in late 2027. It will host a USL club and the Everett AquaSox. The City Council has now approved nearly $18M for the $120M Everett Outdoor Event Center.

The U.S. Soccer Adult Council names 2025 Outstanding Men’s Amateur Soccer Club award for Mount Vernon's Tim Busch. Busch has served for decades as President of the Washington State Soccer Association. He played a central role in expanding adult competition and strengthening club pathways and was instrumental in the creation of the Washington Super Cup.

While en route to training at the University of Washington, U.S. National Team players learn that Folarin Balogun's suspension has been rescinded by FIFA one day before meeting Belgium. Balogun, the team's top tournament scorer with three goals, was issued a red card on VAR review in the U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina July 1. The ban is suspended by implementing Article 27, which also allowed Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo to play his team's first two matches despite an initial three-match ban from qualifying.

Two Sounders FC Academy teams reach the late stages of the Generation adidas Cup in Bradenton, Fl., with the U15 boys falling, 5-0, in the final to Spain's Valencia. Cris Batiz earns the tournament Golden Boot with six goals. Seattle is the only club with two teams advancing to semifinals. Brazil's Red Bull Bragantino eliminated the U16s, 3-2, in the semifinals.

During a tryout for a Sequim youth team, Ashtyn Messinger, 12, is revived by members of the coaching staff after collapsing in midfield. Middle school teacher Kelli Mishko and nurse Kelsey Chapman, both trained in CPR and lifesaving technique, revive Messinger, who was not breathing and had no pulse, by using automated external defibrillators before paramedics arrive. Administering CPR and using the AED, the coaches are able to bring Messinger back to life, and she is transported to Seattle Children’s hospital, where surgeons put a defibrillator into her heart.

Backed by a rabid capacity throng in Seattle, the United States clinches advancement to the knockout rounds by beating Australia, 2-0, in Group D World Cup play. Without the injured star Christian Pulisic, the U.S. bulls ahead early as Folarin Balogun forces an Aussie own goal in the 11th minute, racing down the left and banging his low cross off the foot of Cameron Burgess. The lead doubles just before halftime when Sergiño Dest's top-of-the-box drive is deflected, then headed home by Alex Freeman. Initially ruled offside, VAR proves otherwise and the thunderous reaction from the 66,925 registers in stadium seismic sensors. It marks the first time the USMNT has won consecutive World Cup matches since 1930. After the final whistle, the throng serenades the victors with John Denver's "Country Roads."

More than 1,400 Seattle youth and their caregivers will be seeing FIFA World Cup matches in Seattle for free. The full cost of the tickets is being covered by fiscal sponsors, including Seattle sports teams, local businesses and organizations such as Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, the Port of Seattle, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the University of Washington and more.

A year after joining the Sounders FC Academy system, 14-year-old winger Cris Batiz signs for Tacoma Defiance and becomes the youngest player to sign a professional contract in Sounders organization history. Batiz made 14 appearances in MLS NEXT in 2025. Prior to coming to Seattle, Batiz played for Academia Internacional de Fútbol Leones in his hometown of San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Richie Aman of 2025 NCAA champion Washington finishes as a runner-up in the MAC Hermann trophy balloting in St. Louis. Donavan Phillip of national runner-up North Carolina State is the 2025 winner.

Seattle's envisioned 2026 FIFA World Cup fan zone at Seattle Center is downsized and divvied up among downtown neighborhoods. Instead of a projected 30,000 visitors descending daily on a 74-acre outdoor space, the Seattle Center fan zone will move indoors to The Armory. Three other confirmed fan spaces will be Waterfront Park, Pacific Place and Victory Hall in Sodo.

Cristian Roldan is once again selected to the U.S. World Cup squad, one of 12 holdovers and the only active MLS player chosen for both 2022 and 2026. Roldan is also the first Sounder to serve on two WC teams while playing for the team.

Ticket prices for the USA-Belgium World Cup round of 16 match reach an average purchase price of $2,587 a day prior. It makes it the most expensive sporting event ever at Lumen Field, although prices do fall on game day, listing for under $1,600 for Category 3 in the upper level. The get-in price for arguably the most anticipated match in USMNT history spiked to $3,115 shortly after the matchup was determined on July 1.

In Seattle’s first nighttime World Cup match, Iran and Egypt provide true theater in a dramatic close to Group G play. Against a backdrop of demonstrations outside and Pride celebrations inside, the first 14 minutes features goals by Egypt’s Mahmoud Saber (5’) and Ramin Rezaeian (14’) of Iran, not to mention Mostafa Shobeir diving to stop Mehdi Tarmei’s penalty attempt (11’). The final half-hour has Iran relentlessly pressing for the winner and assured passage to the knockout round. Three minutes into added time there’s pandemonium as Shoja Khalilzadeh rams home an apparent goal. Moments later, however, VAR judges Khalilzadeh fractionally offside. Egypt finishes second in the group and after another 24 hours of flirting with advancing as a third-place team, Iran is eliminated.

Visa Street Soccer Park opens at the former Gault Middle School site on Tacoma's east side. It features two mini-pitches and is also equipped for blind soccer. Seattle FWC26, the local World Cup organizing committee, donated a set of regulation blind soccer kickboards sized for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes, making the site available for regional training. The park is a collaboration between the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Tacoma Public Schools, Street Soccer USA, Visa and Bank of America.

One of the last NWSL originals and the face of Seattle Reign for 13 years, Jess Fishlock s 2026 with her final season as a player. Fishlock, 39, ranks No. 2 in all-time leagues appearances and has been a seven-time Best XI selection in midfield, including 2021 when she was MVP.

Lumen Field's initial transition into a World Cup venue concludes with the completed installation of the grass playing surface. Since late February, approximately 14 inches of sand and other base materials were installed on top of the existing artificial turf before sod was laid down. Installation of the grass field started in late February and will be used for at least 17 matches over three months, beginning with the April 14 USA-Japan women's international friendly. When all the soccer is done, the grass and base materials will be removed, and the previous artificial surface will be prepared for use by the Reign and Sounders for the balance of their seasons, plus the Seahawks' NFL season.

The Royal Belgian FA officially confirms that the Seattle Sounders' headquarters in Renton will serve as its World Cup training base. All three of Belgium’s group stage matches are located on the West Coast, including its opening fixture in Seattle against Egypt on June 15.

After appearing on the Spokane scene to great fanfare, less than three years later the Zephyr ceases to exist as a USL Super League member. The unexpected news comes four days after Spokane completed its second season, just missing the playoffs for the second year in a row. The Zephyr reportedly drew roughly 2,500 fans in its inaugural season, but attendance fell by nearly 1,000 fans per game in 2025-26. Given their geographic isolation as the only franchise west of Texas, travel costs were unquestionably the highest in the nine-team women’s league. Owner Aequus Sports finalized a 10-year contract in September 2023 to play professional soccer at ONE Spokane Stadium. Aequus continues to operate the Velocity men’s team in USL League One.

For the first time since opening in 1997, Seattle's Interbay Stadium is getting additional seating. The LLC for Salmon Bay FC and Ballard FC will fund the initial expansion, adding 267 bleacher seats behind the southeast sideline for the upcoming USL League Two season. If demand warrant, a second phase will add another 267 bleacher seats behind the southwest sideline. Interbay has seated approximately 900, plus standing room areas. Seattle Pacific paid $3.3 million for the stadium's construction and its men's and women's teams both pay and train there. The Seattle Parks Department maintains the stadium.

Ui Kaaihue scores a late penalty to force extra time, and Elena Milam makes a key shootout save to spur Salmon Bay onto the W League final over the Minnesota Aurora, 1-1 (3-2), before a full house at Interbay Stadium. The Coho fall behind on a peculiar penalty called after Anna Menti mistakenly handles the ball in her box after believing it had gone over the endline. Ai Kitigawa converts for the undefeated (14-0-0) visitors' 28' lead. Not until the 88th minute does Salmon Bay pull even. Aurora keeper Taylor Fox collides with Jourdyn Curran, and Kaaihue scores. Following a scoreless overtime, Milam saves in the fourth round, Fox goes wide in the next round, and Menti slips her PK into the left corner to prevail.

Sofia Huerta's early penalty kick snaps a record 510-minute scoreless drought for the Reign, which goes on to beat Boston, 2-1, at Pawtucket, R.I. It also ends Seattle's five-match winless skid (0-3-2). Huerta scores from the spot in the 11th minute after Maddie Dahlien's header is handled. Dahlien volleys home Maddie Curry's cross at 51' for what proves to be the winner in the first meeting with the expansion Legacy.

Both the Seattle Reign and Sounders announce a combined total of four matches to be played at One Spokane Stadium in March and April. The Sounders, already scheduled for five straight MLS road matches while grass is installed at Lumen Field, will begin by hosting Vancouver in a March 18 Concacaf Champions Cup second leg. The Reign's first three home dates will be in Spokane: March 25 vs. Kansas City March 28 vs. Louisville and April 4 vs. Denver.

An Albert Rusnak brace and second-half surge was not enough for the Sounders to overcome a first-leg deficit in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup. Seattle beats Tigres, 3-1, in the second leg at Lumen Field, but the Mexicans prevail on the away goals tiebreaker in aggregate, 3-3. Playing in a cold rain, the Rave Green bounce back from allowing a first-half equalizer with Rusnak's second and Danny Musovski's 82' strike.

Cassie Miller makes nine saves, and Ryanne Brown buries an early opportunity from distance to send the Seattle Reign on their way to a 2-0 win over Portland before 14,793 at Lumen Field. Seeking their first Seattle home win, the Reign score on the counter as Brown bends an 18-yard shot into the upper left corner in the 8th minute. Just before intermission, Sam Meza's cross is slammed in by the head of Maddie Mercado. The Thorns, seeking a win to take over first in the NWSL, keep Miller busy throughout the second half, finishing with 26 shots. Brown makes her first start in over two years after recovering from a torn ACL. Miller, who missed most of 2025 due to injury, starts in place of the injured Claudia Dickey.

With the streets around Seattle Stadium largely a pedestrian- and bike-only area, public transportation sees record ridership on the day of the USA-Australia World Cup match. Sound Transit Link light rail carries 280,000 passengers, and a record 9,483 riders board the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis. In addition, Lime tracks more than 83,000 trips on its e-bikes and scooters, smashing their record by about 40 percent. In addition to the World Cup game at noon, the Mariners hosted Boston at night.

FIFA reaffirms that supporters will be allowed to bring rainbow flags and other items associated with sexual orientation and gender identity into Seattle's Pride Match between Egypt and Iran on June 26. FIFA will allow rainbow flags across all World Cup venues, provided they comply with stadium regulations. The news comes following objections from both Egypt and Iran, whose football associations have criticized any LGBTQ+-related messaging linked to the fixture. The organizing committee in Seattle, Seattle FWC26, announced its intention to host the Pride Match before the two teams were drawn to play there.