Iran, Egypt reject “Pride Match” label for 2026 World Cup match in Seattle
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Iran and Egypt formally objected to US organizers' plans to designate their 2026 FIFA World Cup match in Seattle as a "Pride Match" celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
- Both nations, where homosexuality is criminalized, are appealing to FIFA to halt the "irrational" initiative, citing conflicts with their cultural, religious, and social values and FIFA's neutrality statutes.
Iran and Egypt formally objected to US organizers' plans to designate their 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage showdown as a "Pride Match" celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
The fixture, set for June 26 at Seattle's Lumen Field, coincides with the city's annual Pride weekend, but the irony of pitting two nations where homosexuality is criminalized against a symbol of queer rights has sparked outrage.
The group stage draw on December 5 placed Iran and Egypt in Group G alongside Belgium and New Zealand.
Seattle's local organizing committee, SeattleFWC26, had announced the "Pride Match" initiative months earlier—before teams were assigned—to highlight LGBTQ+ inclusion through citywide events, including artwork displays and performances.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington," the committee stated on its website. The plans, unaffiliated with FIFA, emphasize off-stadium festivities rather than in-game disruptions.
Iran's Football Federation president, Mehdi Taj, decried the move as an "irrational" endorsement of "a certain group," vowing to appeal to FIFA.
Iranian state media reported Tehran would notify the governing body of potential "consequences," citing violations of FIFA's statutes on political and social neutrality.
Homosexuality is punishable by death under Iranian law.
Egypt echoed the sentiment, with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) dispatching a letter to FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom rejecting "in absolute terms" any LGBTQ+-themed activities.
The EFA argued the branding clashes with "cultural, religious, and social values" in Arab and Islamic societies, risking tension among fans and breaching FIFA's Article 4 on neutrality.
While not explicitly illegal, Egypt enforces anti-LGBTQ+ crackdowns via "debauchery" laws, leading to arrests, per Human Rights Watch.
Seattle organizers remain defiant. Vice-President of Communications Hana Tedesse affirmed the events will proceed, framing them as reflective of the city's identity and inclusive of its Iranian-American and Egyptian diaspora communities.
"Football unites people across borders," she told the BBC.
FIFA has yet to respond publicly, but the row recalls the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where FIFA banned the pro-LGBTQ+ OneLove armband, forcing teams like England to back down.
