Egypt and Iran object to Seattle ‘Pride’ match at World Cup : NPR
Iran is lit up on screen during the official draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on December 5, 2025 in Washington, DC
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Egyptian and Iranian officials are protesting the scheduling of a FIFA World Cup match between the two teams next June in Seattle, where local organizers had planned pride festivities around the match.
Both Middle Eastern countries are culturally conservative. In Iran, same-sex sexual relations can be punished by death, and other expressions of gender and sexuality can be punished by imprisonment or flogging. Egypt’s morality laws allow for the de facto criminalization of same-sex relations, according to a report by human rights groups. arrests and police harassment of people suspected of homosexuality.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Egyptian Football Federation said it “categorically rejects the holding of any activity related to supporting homosexuality” during the June 26 match. The association sent an official letter to FIFA asking it to take steps to “avoid including activities that may provoke cultural and religious sensitivities” among fans during the Seattle match.
Iranian officials also opposed the Iranian national team’s participation in the match. “We do not make concessions to anyone regarding our beliefs,” Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said. in remarks on state television Wednesdayadding that Iran had also complained directly to FIFA.
In a statement, local organizing group SeattleFWC26 said it would “move forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride Weekend and throughout the tournament.”
“The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the largest Iranian-American communities in the country, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and wealthy communities representing all the nations we welcome to Seattle,” spokesperson Hana Tadesse told NPR. “We are committed to ensuring that all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect and dignity that define our region.”
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NPR.
Germany players pose with hands covering their mouths as they line up for team photos ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match against Japan in Doha. The move comes as a rebuke of a crackdown on plans to wear rainbow armbands to protest discrimination in host country Qatar.
Alexandre Hassenstein/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Alexandre Hassenstein/Getty Images
While FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, organizes World Cup matches itself, local groups in each host city are responsible for organizing events outside of matches and serve as liaisons with local officials and business owners. More than 750,000 visitors are expected for the World Cup in Seattle alone, according to organizers.
In Seattle, organizers have made values like accessibility and inclusion pillars of the city’s World Cup festivities. The match coincides with the city’s annual Pride Festival, held independently of the World Cup. This weekend, a pride parade will march from downtown to the large public festival at the Seattle Center.
Hosting a game on Pride weekend, according to the SeattleFWC26 website, is “a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact.” Another match on June 19 between the United States and Australia will include Juneteenth festivities.
“With games on Juneteenth and pride, we can show the world that in Seattle, everyone is welcome,” Mayor-elect Katie Wilson wrote on X. after team selection.
Plans for the 2026 World Cup have been in progress for years and matches, like the one on June 26 in Seattle, have been on the schedule for a long time. But organizers did not know which teams would participate in the match until last Saturday, after FIFA held a draw to determine which teams would play in each group.
The June 26 match in Seattle was awarded to Iran and Egypt, while group mates New Zealand and Belgium were scheduled to play in nearby Vancouver.
Belgium and New Zealand are among dozens of countries around the world where same-sex marriage is legal. FIFA did not respond to a request whether the two games could be swapped.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, cultural clashes between the host country and visiting teams and fans have been a major topic. FIFA has sometimes taken the side of Qatar: seven European teams, including Belgium, had planned that their captains wear rainbow armbands during the Cup, but eventually backtracked, claiming FIFA had threatened them with yellow cards. Some fans and one journalist – the late football writer Grant Wahl – reported being asked to take off rainbow clothes before entering the stadiums. FIFA was slow to respond.
