Friday, June 12, 2026 — Indigenous representation during the world’s largest sporting event

Tribes in Washington State and Vancouver, British Columbia are presenting their culture and history to soccer fans all over the world. The Puyallup Tribe’s partnership with FIFA is the first time an Indigenous nation is formally represented at the World Cup for the games in host city, Seattle. The Musqueam Indian Band and Squamish Nation also have hosting and planning agreements in Canada. They are all contributing cultural events, visual arts, and music during the matches that are attracting fans from all over the world. At the same time, Native victims advocates like the Seattle Indian Health Board are preparing resources to combat the expected increases in Indigenous human trafficking that inevitably accompanies such large, high-profile events. GUESTS Jamin Zuroski (ʼNa̱mǥis First Nation, Polish, Ukrainian), artist Tamia Overes (səlilwətaɬ [Tsleil-Waututh Nation]), artist Chelsea Hendrickson (citizen of the Northern Arapaho Nation, and Cup’iq), survivor leader Hope Sandstrom (Puyallup), digital media manager for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), executive vice president of Seattle Indian Health Board and director of Urban Indian Health Institute   Break 1 Music: Seattle Theme x FIFA World Cup 26 (song) Sango (artist) Break 2 Music: Beauty Way (song) Summit Dub Squad (artist) The Beauty Way (album)