Egypt and Iran demand Fifa cancel World Cup ‘Pride Match’ to ‘maintain spirit of unity and peace’ as woke move risks backfiring
Egypt and Iran have urged Fifa to cancel LGBT celebrations set to take place at their group stage fixture during the 2026 World Cup to “maintain the spirit of unity and peace”.
The themed fixture, which has been dubbed as “Pride Match” and was planned before the draw was announced, would be the first of its kind at a Fifa World Cup.
Egypt’s FA argues the event, which coincides with Pride Month, could “provoke cultural and religious sensitivities”.
The match is scheduled to take place on June 26.
Both nations involved uphold anti-gay laws, with same-sex relationships punishable by the death penalty in Iran and homosexuality is highly stigmatised in Egypt.
Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj called the move “unreasonable conduct that supports a specific group” in an interview with state television, adding that both Tehran and Cairo have communicated their objections to Fifa.
The Egyptian FA has written to football body secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom to outline its “absolute” rejection of any activities linked to LGBT support during the match.
The letter reads: “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 Egyptian Football Association has urged Fifa to cancel LGBT celebrations
| GETTY
It added: “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 match day.”
Seattle’s local organising committee still plans for the celebration to go ahead, despite the calls.
Don’t Miss
The World Cup draw took place in Washington on Friday | GETTY
Eric Wahl, a member of The Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee said: “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.”
“There are LGBTQAI+ people everywhere.”
He added: “All are welcome to be themselves in Seattle.”
The celebrations are due to take place two days before the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which is on June 28.
The celebrations are due to take place two days before the anniversary of the Stonewall riots
| GETTY
The host stadium, The Lumen Field, is set to host six World Cup matches, presenting an opportunity for organisers to reschedule plans.
The US will face Australia on June 19, with the fixture already being designated to mark Juneteenth, a national holiday celebrated annually to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
The other possible game is Egypt or Qatar, which both also uphold anti-gay laws.
A round-of-32 game featuring the winner of Group G at Lumen Field on July 1, and a last-16 match on July 6 could be possible solutions, but these both fall outside of Pride month.
