2026 World Cup Pride Match between Egypt and Iran Seattle hopes ‘can bring the soccer community together’ | Football News
When Seattle announced that it would host the Pride Game during the 2026 World Cup, it was a long time in the making.
The match at Lumen Field on June 26 (4am June 27 in the UK) – one of six the host city – will take place on the same day as Seattle’s annual Pride weekend, which sets the stage for the festival’s outdoor celebrations.
It’s a game that could decide who will go through to the knockout stages – and it’s a game that will bring together two of the world’s strictest anti-gay laws: Egypt and Iran.
In Iran, same-sex relationships are illegal and gay men are convicted of sex crimes, making their laws one of the most oppressive of the LGBTQ community in the world.
Egypt has previously jailed LGBTQ people with blasphemy laws and in recent years has criticized foreign Pride speech and the display of rainbow flags.
Both countries have asked FIFA and Seattle to cancel the Pride celebrations.
Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj described the Pride branding of the game as “inappropriate” and a “senseless move”.
The statement of the Egyptian Football Association reads as follows: “Egypt absolutely refuses to hold any actions related to supporting (homosexuality) during the game. These initiatives are against the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in the Arab and Muslim communities.”
FIFA, which is not officially involved in the arrangements, has rejected calls from Iran and Egypt to cancel or move the game.
The local Seattle organizing committee says it will go ahead as planned, saying: “Soccer has a unique ability to unite people across borders, cultures and beliefs. We are honored to host the Pride Match and to celebrate Pride as part of the global soccer community. This game demonstrates our ongoing commitment to respect, dignity, respect and unity for all.”
Both of these teams will be looking to advance to the round of 32, Egypt is top of Group G with four points and Iran is second with two points.
Iran will also have to travel to Seattle from their home base in Mexico on the day of the game due to restrictions that do not allow the team to stay overnight in the United States.
‘We want the people of Egypt and Iran to know that they will be welcome in Seattle’
Eric Wahl, who fell in love with soccer while living in Seattle, is a member of the Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee and helped organize the game.
He is also the brother of journalist Grant Wahl, who died at the Qatar World Cup in 2022 after suffering an aortic aneurysm. Wahl was briefly detained by security staff last month for wearing a rainbow football shirt.
Despite the initial shock at the draft, Eric Wahl believes the Pride Game will be an opportunity for the world to see how Seattle has embraced him.
“We had one goal of wanting to highlight LGBTQ organizations and businesses in Seattle and combine that with a shared love of soccer as a global game,” he said.
As hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of spectators tune into Seattle during Pride Weekend, we are given a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact. This time allows us to educate the world, promote our LGBTQ+ community, and promote LGBTQ+ businesses and cultural organizations.
“Actually, this is a really good thing.
“We want people from Egypt and Iran to know that, regardless of who they are, they will be welcome in Seattle, and we would be happy to have them.
“I hope that there will be football fans in Iran and Egypt who will be able to watch the game itself, but also the balance around it.”
Footballers in Qatar four years ago were caught in a U-turn over the ‘OneLove’ rainbow belt but Wahl doesn’t expect the Iranian or Egyptian players to comment on anything other than the football itself.
“I think it’s par for the course [there will be questions of them] but it is also unfair to the players of both national teams who are undoubtedly placed in a place they did not ask for.
“Asking any of them to comment on these situations puts them in an unfair position.
“Whether they’re fighting for or against gay rights usually doesn’t matter to me, because they have to think about the oppressive regimes they come from and that to me is a big concern.”
FIFA will administer the same match as any World Cup match
Although FIFA is not in charge of organizing the Pride Games, it has been in contact with the Seattle local organizing committee and the Pride advisory committee.
The match will be treated in the same way as any World Cup match, with a FIFA spokesperson telling Sky Sports News: “FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds. Fans of all genders and backgrounds are welcome at matches and events.”
FIFA’s marketing will stick to its usual ‘No Racism’ campaign material but rainbow flags will be allowed inside the stadium.
“General human rights statements, including rainbow flags and other flags representing gender and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026 Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums as long as they are used in a manner that complies with the code.”
The governing body is adamant that it will not stand for discrimination of any kind at the World Cup and anyone can report any abuse they experience at FIFA events using its operating system.
Any discrimination on the pitch will follow FIFA’s three-step process which is in place for all matches.
First, the game would be stopped if an incident occurred, and there would be an announcement urging the audience to stop behaving badly. If it continues after a restart, the game may be stopped and abandoned as a last resort.
Seattle hopes to instead be a fun, inclusive event celebrating the LGBTQ community.
Wahl expects to see a sea of color when the game kicks off, which is also a chance to honor his late brother.
“I’ll be wearing the soccer jersey that Grant was arrested for in Qatar,” Wahl said.
“I think it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to share that experience, and I can hear Grant smiling about it again.”
