Seattle's appeal on display
City a strong backdrop for 1-1 draw between Belgium, Egypt
A screen displays the attendance for a Group G World Cup match between Belgium and Egypt on Monday in Seattle. The teams battled to a 1-1 draw.
SEATTLE — The Emerald City is embracing its World Cup moment while displaying its appeal to FIFA as an international destination.
Almost four years to the day after it was announced Seattle would serve as one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup, the city played host to its first game on Monday. Belgium and Egypt fans enjoyed a perfect Chamber of Commerce day ahead of their Group G clash, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
With temperatures expected to break records and reach the low 90s, fans from both sides flocked downtown hours ahead of the noon match. Local bars and restaurants had lines out the door by 10 a.m., noise makers could be heard throughout the streets of Pioneer Square and all around Lumen Field — which has been transformed in name to Seattle Stadium for FIFA's crown jewel event.
Intrigued fans from Belgium and Egypt took selfies in front of the statue of Ken Griffey Jr. in front of T-Mobile Park, home of baseball's Seattle Mariners, and with signs celebrating the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
The fervor inside the stadium was a bit more muted leading up to the start of the match. The only line was the one for the World Cup merchandise store, which wrapped several hundred people deep. But there were virtually no lines clamoring for the $18 domestic beers or $20 chicken strips throughout the stadium.
Following reports of thousands of empty seats at some World Cup locations, the opening match in Seattle was very well attended. A boisterous crowd welcomed Belgium as they took to the pitch for warmups, and by match time, very few seats had yet to be filled.
IRAN 2, NEW ZEALAND 2: Iran twice came from behind to earn a draw with New Zealand its opening match on Monday in Inglewood, California after an end-to-end contest played against the backdrop of Iranian fan protests against the government in Tehran. Mohammad Mohebbi glanced a header in off the back post for the final equalizer.
GROUP H
CAPE VERDE 0, SPAIN 0: Although it wasn't a win, Cape Verde delivered a World Cup debut for the ages Monday afternoon when they stifled Spain for a 0-0 draw in the opening match for both teams in Atlanta.
Spain, which is second in the FIFA world rankings, controlled the match in all phases but were not able to break down Cape Verde, which entered the day as the fifth lowest ranked team in the field at No. 67.
Cape Verde delivered the first scoreless draw of this year's event against a Spain team which brought in a 31-match unbeaten streak (excluding penalty kicks) in official competition.
URUGUAY 1, SAUDI ARABIA 1: Saudi Arabia and Uruguay played out a 1-1 draw on Monday after Abdulelah Al Amri's opener for the Gulf nation was canceled out by Maxi Araujo in a game where both sides profited from goalkeeping errors.
Fans of Japan clean up postgame
Tradition went viral after elimination game loss in 2018
Japan fans clear trash in the stands during a World Cup Group F match against the Netherlands on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
NOTES
Fans of Japan's World Cup soccer team might be forgiven for acting a little raucous following their squad's 2-2 draw against the Netherlands on Sunday in Arlington, Texas.
Instead, as is their custom, they spent their time post-match picking up trash at AT&T Stadium in large plastic bags.
Daichi Kamada knotted the score in dramatic fashion, positioning for a deflection off a Koki Ogawa header to rescue a point against the much larger Netherlands squad.
The two highest-ranked squads in Group F settled for the draw, though for Japan, which trailed twice in the second half, it no doubt felt like more of a victory to draw even.
Fans caught in the euphoria of the moment did not forget to engage in what has become a tradition for the side supporting Japan. Eight years ago, at the World Cup in Russia, Japan fans went viral for picking up litter, even after a difficult loss that ended their stay at the event.
Four years later at Qatar, Japanese fans were likewise documented picking up their surroundings, though those circumstances were positive rather than negative — Japan won Group E with victories against Germany and Spain.
"For Japanese people, this is just a normal thing to do," Hajime Moriyasu, coach of the 2022 team, told The Athletic. "When you leave a place, you have to leave it cleaner than it was before."
On Sunday, fans even had help from an unlikely source, NFL quarterback Jameis Winston, covering the event as a correspondent for FOX.
BRIEFLY
HYDRATION: FIFA's mandatory three-minute hydration breaks in World Cup matches are proving as controversial as they are cooling, with players split over interruptions that some say kill the flow of the game while coaches embrace them as tactical timeouts.
TRAVEL: Fox World Cup analyst Landon Donovan is in an online spat with United Airlines after travel difficulties influenced him and his broadcast partner Ian Darke to complete the last 250 miles of their journey from Houston to New Jersey in an Uber.
OFFICIALS: Officials at Monday evening's Group H World Cup clash in Miami Gardens between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia wore pink shirts in what FIFA says is a tribute to South Florida's largest city.
GHANA: Carlos Queiroz is still one tournament short of matching the record for coaching at the World Cup, but the 73-year-old will still enter the record books this week when he coaches in his fifth straight tourney, tying a mark set by Bora Milutinovic from 1986 to 2002.
TUNISIA: Tunisia head coach Sabri Lamouchi was bracing to be fired on Monday after a lopsided loss in the country's first game. Widespread reports indicated Tunisia was planning to bring back Mondher Kebaier as interim head coach.
TUESDAY'S MATCHES
France vs. Senegal East Rutherford, N.J.
France's attack is loaded with star power, with Kylian Mbappe, one of the world's biggest stars, and PSG's Ousmane Dembele. But what will decide France's fate is the defense anchored by Arsenal center back William Saliba. Senegal has a squad full of players recognizable to any fan of European soccer. Former Liverpool standout Sadio Mane will be the leader of the front line.
Iraq vs. Norway Foxborough, Mass.
Back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998, this generation of Norwegian players gives hope for a deep run. Six-foot-5 striker Erling Haaland is going to draw attention as one of the world's top goal-scorers after winning his third Golden Boot in four Premier League seasons with Manchester City. Aymen Hussein and Mohanad Ali have been prolific scorers for Iraq's national team.
Argentina vs. Algeria Kansas City
The reigning World Cup champions will enter the 2026 tournament on the short list of favorites. It will mark Lionel Messi's record-tying sixth and — likely — final World Cup. Algeria can draw some inspiration from Morocco, which in 2022 became the first African nation to reach the semifinal of a World Cup.
Austria vs. Jordan Santa Clara, Calif.
Austria is back in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and will not be satisfied with just being there, having won six of its eight UEFA group qualifiers. Jordan is one of four nations that will compete in the World Cup for the first time.
— Field Level Media
