Belgium and Egypt played to a 1-1 draw on Monday in a match that was, as a soccer game, compelling at times but fairly run of the mill.
But Belgium and Egypt, as an event — socially, culturally, one that put the eyes of the world on Seattle — was impeccable.
Because this was not just a soccer game, this was the World Cup, the world's great communal event, the apogee of the one game played by every country on the globe. That's why Seattle Stadium (formerly, and after FIFA leaves, Lumen Field) was packed with nearly 70,000 people. Thousands more who couldn't find or afford tickets spread out at watch parties around the region.
And that's why the two countries and their respective diasporas converged on Seattle, swarming in red and white masses along sidewalks, buses, cafes and bars.
Apologies to Cal Raleigh and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but the most popular athletes in Seattle on Monday, judging by jerseys, were, by far, Belgium's Kevin de Bruyne and Egypt's Mohamed Salah.
For so many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the kind of event that transcends sports. The game was a veritable sellout, despite ticket prices that border on the absurd, and despite FIFA's long history of lending its luster to authoritarian governments.
Ali Gad drove from Portland, where he works in IT, with his wife and two sons. He's lived there for eight years, but he and his wife are both from Egypt, where their extended families still live.
“It's getting harder and harder to be so far away,†Gad said.
These opportunities are so rare. Egypt missed every World Cup between 1990 and 2018. In 2022, they missed out after a penalty kick shootout in which Salah, arguably the world's best player at the time, kicked his over the bar.
Gad wore a red Egypt jersey and wrapped himself in an Egyptian flag.
“For my sons, there's this disconnection between home and the U.S.,†Gad said. “They're torn between the two. So I feel like taking them to the World Cup is going to reinforce the love for their home country.â€
Matt Wass de Czege is from Seattle, but went to high school in Belgium, when his father worked for NATO. He and his wife, Cara, skipped work for the game.
“The World Cup is a bucket-list item,†he said. “Just being part of this whole atmosphere, it's in our hometown, it's the largest sporting event in the world.â€
The grounds outside the stadium Monday morning were a cacophony of amplified street preachers (“the wrath of God is comingâ€), pop music and police helicopters.
Paul Van der Brande flew with four friends from Belgium. Over the next few weeks, they'll drive from Seattle to San Francisco and Los Angeles, where Belgium plays Iran, then hit Las Vegas and a few national parks. Then they'll circle back to Vancouver, B.C., where Belgium plays New Zealand. Depending on results, they'll head back to Seattle or to Dallas for a knockout-round game.
Watching television the last few days, Van der Brande's been a little miffed at the relative paucity of World Cup coverage.
“You put on the TV and it's all the Knicks,†he said. “There's a world championship going on, I don't understand.â€
TV aside, the atmosphere, he said, has been great. He's been to a few European championships, and the World Cup is a different thing.
“It's a whole other feel,†said Van der Brande, a civil engineer. “That's why we do it, all different people with the same mindset, but different backgrounds.â€
Belgian fan Philippe Gouders, 27, flew into Seattle last night and arrived to Belgium's match on Monday dressed as a frite, in a tribute to his home country's national street food. On his first-ever trip to the United States, he's planning to road-trip down the West Coast after this match to catch Belgium playing in Los Angeles.
Gouders said he's been impressed with the number of Belgian fans that live in the U.S.A. His first impression of the Emerald City? “Everything is green here!â€
Inside the stadium, the energy was high voltage, contagious. Fans dressed as pharaohs and frites. They roared for their teams. The rising heat — the hottest day of the year so far — did little to dampen the atmosphere.
On a barge on Seattle's waterfront, Francisco Hernandez watched with his wife and two sons. A barber, Fernandez actually gave a haircut to an Egypt team manager on Sunday. Still, he couldn't be swayed — he was rooting for Belgium, because goalkeeper Thibault Courtois plays his club soccer for Fernandez's beloved Real Madrid.
Fernandez's two boys, 11 and 8, got to skip school to watch the match.
“It's OK, it's a one-time-in-a-life†event, he said. “Especially since it's in Seattle, we couldn't miss it.â€
Hundreds of people gathered in Pioneer Square, beneath a corridor of London plane trees, to watch on a big screen the game taking place just a couple blocks south. Why brave the traffic, why stand on hard brick in the heat, just to watch on TV?
People. To watch with other people.
There were official watch parties on the Seattle waterfront and in Pacific Place mall, and smaller, unofficial parties in dozens of other places.
In Pioneer Square the crowd booed when FIFA head honcho Gianni Infantino was shown in his luxury box. They chuckled and clapped each time play-by-play man Derek Rae praised Seattle in his soothing English accent — “the delightful Emerald City … lovely Puget Sound … You don't get a bad cup of coffee here, no such thing.â€
Hani Mohamed truly doesn't care about soccer. “I really don't know any of the rules,†she protested.
But she has family in Egypt, and has visited a few times. And she and a friend were in Pioneer Square Monday, in an Egypt jersey, to cheer on the Pharaohs.
There were no chairs left, so they sat on the bricks.
“We just want to watch with people,†said Mohamed, a student at Seattle University. “To enjoy the game and enjoy the vibes.â€
Ali Abdul was in Pioneer Square — not at his day job at a lab in Bellevue — living and dying with every run, every shot, every save.
Originally from Egypt, he's lived in the Seattle area for a decade. At halftime, Egypt was up 1-0 and Abdul was floating.
“The weather feels like home, everyone is excited,†he said. “Supporting my country, everyone is friendly, everything is good.â€
In the 62nd minute, a Belgian volley went just wide. Abdul put his hand over his heart and gasped. He grabbed his friends shoulders.
A few minutes later Belgium equalized. At halftime he was gracious, but now Abdul was no longer in the mood to talk. “Thanks for your questions,†he said.
Mitchell Alexander took the ferry from Bremerton to watch in Pioneer Square. He came with his mom, who was born in Egypt.
He'd have loved to be at the game, but, well, those ticket prices. Alexander just graduated from the University of Southern California — his degree is in neuroscience — and he wore his dean's list graduation sash, with an Egyptian flag embroidered on it.
“It's a sign of heritage, to be glad of where you're from,†he said. “And it's a reflection to show America is made from people of all places. It's amazing to see …
“NO!†he shouted, interrupting himself. Belgium had just come desperately close to finding a winner in stoppage time. But the 94th-minute shot went just high.
“It's amazing to see,†he continued, “people here from all walks of life, all places.â€
Seattle Times reporters Nicole Pasia, Catalina Gaitán, Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Gregory Scruggs and Paige Cornwell contributed to this report.Â
