At Pier 62 for the BiH vs. Switzerland game

I’m a little late to post this blog about the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Seattle, the past month has been incredibly hectic for me so I’m only now getting to this!

The 2026 World Cup officially began on June 11th and there were six matches allocated to be played at the recently renamed (just for FIFA) Seattle Stadium. Seattle is a soccer city, period. We knew that there would be events organized even if we couldn’t make it to a game due to ticket prices. However, when it was announced that my homeland of Bosnia-Herzegovina would be one of the teams playing in Seattle, it was an almost poetic confluence of my two homes.

For those who don’t know, my family arrived in Seattle in the late 90s, searching for safety and stability after the Bosnian Genocide and the breakup of Yugoslavia destabilized the whole Balkan region. We came as refugees, scared of what the future might hold. And, to this day, we will always attest that we came to the best city and the best region in the United States of America. I cannot emphasize enough how much my family and I continuously give thanks for having settled in the Greater Seattle Area.

So, when Seattle was named as one of the 2026 World Cup Host Cities, we were incredibly excited. We knew that there would be cool events and things to do. We couldn’t wait! Then, we watched as Bosnia beat both Wales and Italy in our last-chance qualification bid, and discovered that one of their group-stage games would be in Seattle.

Because of the cost of tickets, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we probably wouldn’t be able to make it to a game. That was, until we learned about a special type of ticket specifically reserved for the applicable Association’s supporters. The same day we heard about those tickets was the same day we got those tickets. Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar in Seattle, here we come!

We watched Bosnia’s first group game at home as a family. For the second group game, my sister and I went to the Pier 62 watch party on the waterfront. Pier 62 was beautiful! It was such a great environment for a watch party, and I really enjoyed seeing all the supporters of so many different countries hanging around and just wanting to enjoy the day. After the game, we also checked out Pacific Place Mall and Seattle Center, both of which were having their own watch parties. It was such a great vibe around the whole city.

Then, came our third group game and the one we had tickets for: Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar. We had to win this one to make it into the knockout phase, and our supporters definitely showed up. There was a massive march to the stadium. As someone who typically hates crowds, this one was full of positivity and kindness. When my family got separated, the crowd helped us find each other again. No one was pushing or shoving, people were just enjoying and living up the moment.

The day was HOT. I had hoped to get some freebies from the booths around the stadium, but we were way too sweaty and way too tired after the march to stand around in the heat, so we made our way to our seats early. We were lucky to be seated right next to the section with the core of our organized supporters. They ran the chants, kept the vibes high, and made sure that everything in the surrounding sections wasn’t getting too rowdy.

I cannot express in words how much each goal meant to all the Bosnians in the stadium and around the world. The thing about being Bosnian-Herzegovinian, is that you get used to being ignored. I can’t speak for every other Bosnian but I can certainly speak for myself. Growing up, not only did I have to educate most people on Bosnia-Herzegovina because they’d never heard of it, I also had to fight with a lot of people who denied the genocide that happened there, or who treated Bosnia as some sort of backward dump filled with primitive savages. I had to deal with comments such as “Does anyone in Bosnia even have shoes?”, “Bosnia shouldn’t even be on the map,” and “Your family lives in huts in the mountains” as if we were some cavemen. Watching those goals go into the back of the net meant way more than just a sports achievement – this was a statement. A defiance in the face of those who tried to destroy us, and a sweet little F-You to the ones who feel it acceptable to make shitty comments about our nation.

By the end of the game, everyone was a little bit teary-eyed. We had won and were going to go on to the knockout stages for the first time ever! Unfortunately, it was way too hot and most people were exhausted by it, so my family and I went out to get dinner rather than do anything special.

Ultimately, Bosnia was knocked out in their following game vs. the USA. This was yet another confluence of my two homes, and it was certainly emotional. Hearing both anthems played, seeing both flags flying high, it evoked an emotion that I had never felt before. I think the closest word would be “awe” but even that is not quite right. It’s an awe at the core of which holds nostalgia, sadness, hope, loss, resilience, and achievement. I thought of the line that Eliza sings in the musical, Hamilton, when she says, “Look at where you are, look at where you started.” That line has always hit deep, and it resurfaced in my mind as I watched the teams walk out. What a complex, contradictory, but utterly human moment to experience.

At the end of it all, this World Cup was beautiful, the events in Seattle were awesome, and Bosnia’s path was one that filled us all with pride.

xx,

Selma

A Fulfilling Few Weeks: Reflecting on the World Cup in Seattle and the Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Qatar game

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