A person holds a rainbow flag in Tacoma, Washington, U.S. January 18, 2025. Image@ REUTERS/David Ryder/File Photo
FIFA has rejected requests from Egypt and Iran to ban LGBTQ+ symbols and activities during Friday’s World Cup Group G match in Seattle, reaffirming that rainbow flags will be allowed inside the stadium under its tournament rules.
The football federations of both Muslim-majority nations, where homosexuality is criminalised, had urged FIFA to prohibit displays of support for the LGBTQ+ community during the match at Seattle’s Lumen Field. Egypt’s football federation said in a letter that it “categorically reject[s] any activities related to supporting homosexuality during the match.” Iran’s federation also called on FIFA to block “ceremonies and activities” supporting the LGBTQ+ community both inside and outside the stadium. FIFA declined both requests.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” the governing body said in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events.”
The fixture has attracted added attention because it coincides with Seattle’s annual Pride weekend. The timing became significant after December’s World Cup draw paired Egypt and Iran in the same group, although Seattle’s local organising committee had already designated the game as its “Pride Match” before the draw took place.
Seattle’s PrideFest typically draws more than 200,000 people each year, and the city’s Pride celebrations have been held during the same weekend for more than five decades.
FIFA also clarified that rainbow flags and other symbols representing sexual orientation and gender identity are permitted under the tournament’s Stadium Code of Conduct. The governing body said such items may be displayed as long as they comply with stadium regulations on size and are not used in ways considered political.
Patti Hearn, executive director of Seattle Pride, welcomed FIFA’s decision, saying the rainbow flag represents universal human rights rather than a political statement.
“It’s a human rights flag and that’s why it’s allowed in the stadium,” she told reporters.
Rejecting suggestions that Pride symbols could be seen as provocative, Hearn added: “The rainbow flag or any of the Pride flags are just a symbol of inclusivity, of community, of love and that really isn’t offensive.”
She acknowledged that neither Egypt nor Iran supports LGBTQ+ rights but stressed that LGBTQ+ people exist in every country.
“There are queer people everywhere and I think that if we can provide the opportunity for the world stage to see and experience what it feels like to be in a welcoming and inclusive place … I think that’s great,” she said.
Bookda Gheisar, the Port of Seattle’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion, said the situation also resonated with her personally as an Iranian-American lesbian.
She said the contrast between Iran’s participation and Seattle’s Pride celebrations reflected a conflict she has lived with throughout her life.
“The challenge of that contradiction has been a struggle of my own personal life for 40 years,” she said. “I’m certainly not alone in that.”
Homosexuality remains illegal in Iran, where men have previously been executed after being convicted on sodomy charges.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei avoided the issue during Thursday’s pre-match news conference. Before reporters could ask about the controversy, a FIFA official said the Iranian team would answer only football-related questions.
“I said we are here to play football. For nothing else,” Ghalenoei said.
FIFA has also distanced itself from Seattle’s Pride celebrations.
Speaking to Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche in January, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “I must clarify that there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the World Cup. There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle and, on the same day, events organised by external organisations will be taking place in the city. But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
FIFA’s position contrasts with its approach during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when it warned team captains they could receive yellow cards for wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing tournament regulations on political messaging.
Seattle organisers insist the city’s Pride celebrations will continue regardless of the football tournament.
“It is going to happen this weekend,” said Hedda McLendon of Seattle’s local World Cup organising committee. “It is going to happen long after the World Cup.”
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah