Ahead of the World Cup's opening matches in Santa Clara, the SF LGBT Center in the Castro has launched SF Pride House, a hub for LGBTQ+ soccer fans featuring watch parties, community events, and other programming throughout the tournament.

Pride House SF has opened at the SF LGBT Center ahead of the 2026 World Cup, serving as a gathering space for LGBTQ+ fans, athletes, and allies visiting the Bay Area, as the Chronicle reports. Organizers have planned events throughout the tournament, including speaker panels, watch parties, and community gatherings timed to coincide with World Cup matches.

The initiative is part of a larger network of Pride Houses planned across all 16 North American host cities. The concept reportedly grew out of hospitality spaces created for LGBTQ+ visitors at major international sporting events, though largely absent from recent World Cups in Russia and Qatar due to anti-LGBTQ+ laws and restrictions.

Organizers say the project takes on added significance as some international travelers express concerns about visiting the United States amid increased immigration enforcement and policies affecting transgender and nonbinary people, according to the Chronicle.

“Sports are a space that generally have not always been inclusive of the LGBTQ community as well as other marginalized groups,” San Francisco Spikes soccer club member Danielle Thoe told the outlet. “The biggest tournament in the world has been hosted in spaces that are not welcoming or inclusive to LGBTQ folks. So it’s important that we as a community stand up and explicitly say, ‘No. Soccer is an inclusive place. You are welcome here.’”

While Bay Area World Cup matches will be held in Santa Clara, organizers expect many visiting fans to spend time in San Francisco, where Pride House programming will continue throughout the tournament.

Related: FIFA World Cup Ticket Prices Among Lowest in the Bay Area

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