Egypt and Iran have been drawn in 2026 World Cup Group G alongside Belgium and New Zealand
The Egyptian Football Association says it has sent a formal letter to FIFA requesting that LGBTQ+ “Pride Match” celebrations at one of their 2026 World Cup matches do not go ahead.
The local organising committee in Seattle, one of the host cities for the FIFA tournament next summer, have said the match at Lumen Field on 26 June will feature celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community.
Following Friday’s draw and Saturday’s fixture allocation, it has been confirmed that Seattle will host the Group G match between Egypt and Iran.
In Iran, the maximum punishment for homosexual relations is the death penalty, while in Egypt, morality laws are frequently used to suppress LGBTQ+ rights and relationships.
And in a statement, external on Tuesday, the Egyptian FA said it has sent a formal letter to Fifa secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, rejecting “in absolute terms” any activities linked to LGBTQ+ support during the match.
The game takes place on the weekend of Seattle Pride, and two days before the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – generally regarded as the birth of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Plans were put in place before the teams involved in the fixture were selected, or the draw for the World Cup was made, and has been organised solely by the local committee and not affiliated with Fifa itself.
The lengthy Egyptian FA statement claimed the initiative would clash with “the cultural, religious and social values” of both Egypt and Iran, and urged Fifa to ensure the match would remain focused solely on football.
It cited FIFA’s statutes on political and social neutrality, arguing matches should not be used to promote causes that are “sensitive or of a contentious nature”.
The statement read: “The Egyptian Football Association explained in the letter that, while Fifa is committed to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all fans, and in order to maintain the spirit of unity and peace, it is necessary to avoid including activities that could provoke cultural and religious sensitivities between fans present from both countries, Egypt and Iran, especially since such activities are culturally and religiously incompatible with the two countries.
“The federation also relied on FIFA’s established principle of respecting cultures and encouraging all parties to organise events in a way that respects the beliefs and identities of the participating communities.
“Therefore, in order to ensure that the match is held in an atmosphere of respect and focus solely on the sporting aspect, the Egyptian Federation categorically rejects these calls and demands that FIFA not hold any events or performances related to supporting homosexuality inside the stadium on matchday.”
The Pride Match plans have also reportedly drawn criticism from Iranian media.
Mehdi Taj, head of Iran’s Football Federation, was quoted by local news agency ISNA as saying Tehran and Cairo had both raised “objections against the issue”, which he labelled an “irrational move that supports a certain group”.
However, the BBC understands reports suggesting Iran have officially appealed to FIFA about the Pride Match are untrue.
The Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee (PMAC), set up by organisers to help with the event, has previously said the game will still go ahead as planned.
Six games are scheduled to take place in Seattle; however, there are problems with switching the fixture for the Pride Match.
Co-hosts USA face Australia on June 19, which has already been designated to mark Juneteenth – the celebration of the end of slavery in the United States – while the other group matches feature either Egypt or Qatar, another country with strict laws against same-sex relationships.
Following the draw, Eric Wahl, a member of PMAC, said it was a positive these nations had been drawn to play in the fixture.
“The Egypt v Iran match in Seattle in June just happens to be the Pride match, and I think that is a good thing, actually,” he wrote on social media, external.
“There are LGBTQAI+ people everywhere. All are welcome to be themselves in Seattle.”
It is not the first time an attempted gesture of support for LGBTQ+ people at the World Cup has run into issues.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – a country which also has laws against same-sex relationships – Fifa said players who wore the OneLove armband in support of LGBTQ+ people would receive yellow cards.
Before that tournament, then-UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said LGBT football fans who attended the Qatar tournament should show “a little bit of flex and compromise” in respect of the country’s laws – remarks described as “tone deaf” by critics.
