Long before last week’s World Cup draw determined which teams would play where and when, one match had already been designated as the Gay Pride Game. The game in Seattle on June 26th will be filled with rainbow-colored banners, flags, art and stories to honor LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington state.
“With hundreds of thousands of visitors and billions of spectators around the world, this is a unique moment to showcase and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities in Washington,” says SeattleFWC26, the organizing committee for the city’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, on its website.
Then came the irony of the draw: Iran and Egypt, two countries that criminalize homosexuality and impose severe punishments for it, will host the game. And both completely rejected any connection between their game and LGBTQ+ events.
The football federations of Iran and Egypt stated on Tuesday (9) that they sent letters to FIFA (International Football Federation), protesting against the association of the LGBTQIA+ Pride Game with the match between the two teams. They demanded the cancellation of all events and demonstrations related to the game and insisted that the match be designated strictly as a sporting event.
The Egyptian Football Federation stated in its letter to FIFA that the events of the “LGBTQIA+ Pride game come into direct conflict with the cultural, religious and social values of the region, particularly in Arab and Islamic societies”, and that they would “provoke cultural and religious sensitivities” among Iranian and Egyptian fans.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, said on Tuesday in an interview with state television that Iran had also protested to FIFA against the designation of the game. The Iranian press reported that the Iranian national team players would not wear rainbow-colored armbands nor would they show any support for the movement. “This is an irrational and abnormal thing to do, to support a specific group,” Taj said.
He also expressed concern about the possibility of the United States denying visas to players on the Iranian national soccer team and said he had discussed the matter with FIFA.
The Trump administration has said that players and coaching staff members from teams from countries that fall under the new travel ban imposed on 19 mostly African and Middle Eastern nations, including Iran, will receive visas for the 2026 World Cup. However, fans will not be able to travel to the United States to watch games due to visa restrictions, according to the government.
Omid Memarian, an Iranian human rights expert and senior fellow at Dawn, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that focuses on U.S. foreign policy, said the idea of Iran and Egypt’s national teams playing the match was “almost surreal because it puts some of the world’s most repressive governments on a stage built around openness and equality.”
“The more the authorities get involved in this media frenzy, the more they will harm their own teams,” added Memarian.
Hana Tadesse, vice president of communications for the Seattle organizing committee, said in a statement that several Pride match events in the city would be held as planned, but noted that they would take place outside the stadium where the Egyptian and Iranian teams will play.
The committee spent months planning activities related to the game, which Tadesse said will “elevate existing Pride celebrations throughout Washington state.” Last month, for example, the committee announced the names of artists whose works were selected to be displayed in connection with the “Pride Match.”
“Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures and beliefs,” said Tadesse.
The “Pride Match” coincides with the city’s Pride Week and the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, the demonstrations that began on June 28, 1969, after a police raid on a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn turned into resistance. The event is widely considered to be the spark for the LGBTQIA+ rights movement in the United States.
Seattle is one of 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico selected by FIFA to host World Cup games. Six matches are scheduled to take place in Seattle, attracting teams and fans from the United States, Australia, Belgium, Qatar, Iran and Egypt, as well as the winner of Group A of the European playoff.
FIFA did not immediately respond to requests for comment and has not publicly commented on the controversy surrounding the “LGBTQIA+ Pride” game.
The entity’s code of ethics, specifically Article 4, requires neutrality in relation to political and social issues, and players who violate the code may face punishments including suspension from football for up to two years.
During the 2022 World Cup, FIFA warned players against wearing rainbow-colored armbands from the OneLove organization, which were intended to draw attention to LGBTQIA+ rights in Qatar, and stated that those wearing them would receive yellow cards.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino declared at the time that participating teams should “let football be the protagonist”.
