The flags of Belgium, left, and Egypt are represented in the night sky near the Space Needle in Seattle after the teams tied 1-1 in a FIFA World Cup match on Monday. (Roman Yuferev Photo)
Egypt and Belgium played to a 1-1 draw in a FIFA World Cup matchup in Seattle on Monday. Fans who looked to the sky near Seattle Center later that night got a visual win.
Visit Seattle calls the lighted display the first-ever drone scoreboard, and the destination marketing organization plans to repeat the feat for five more matches hosted in Seattle.
The Egypt vs. Belgium match at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field) attracted more than 66,000 fans for a noon start time. Thanks to the Pacific Northwest’s late sunsets this time of year, the 400 drones didn’t take flight near the Space Needle until 10:05 p.m. The scoreboard was up for 2 minutes, 45 seconds.
Certainly there are quicker ways to determine a match outcome, but Visit Seattle views the effort as a way to celebrate the city’s first World Cup and embody “Seattle’s history of innovation, strong sports fandom, and iconic skyline.”
Drones fly in formation to create Visit Seattle’s “Let’s Play SEA 26” slogan near the Space Needle. (Roman Yuferev Photo)
The drones are flown by Sky Elements, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company that has put on shows at T-Mobile Park for a Mariners game, Lumen Field for the Seahawks, and at the Needle for New Year’s Eve
The next scoreboard will be live on Friday for USA vs. Australia. The showing is free and open to the public, with schedules here.
Here is the schedule for remaining FIFA World Cup matches in Seattle:
- June 19 (noon): United States vs. Australia (Group D)
- June 24 (noon): Qatar vs. TBD (Winner of Playoff A: Italy/NI/Wales/BIH) (Group B)
- June 26 (8 p.m.): Egypt vs. Iran (Group G)
- July 1 (1 p.m): Round of 32 Match 82
- July 6 (5 p.m.): Round of 16 Match 94
