Egypt and Iran to Face Off in ‘Pride Match’ at 2026 Fifa World Cup

The 2026 Fifa World Cup match between Egypt and Iran has been designated as host city Seattle’s “pride match”. Homosexuality is illegal in both Egypt and Iran but the local organizing committee in host city Seattle – the Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee, which is not affiliated with Fifa – has said the match on 26 June would be a showcase of the LGBTQ+ community. The plans were confirmed before the draw and schedule was released, with the Group G match between the two conservative nations scheduled for Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders’ Lumen Field. It comes after the previous World Cup, in Qatar in 2022, saw players threatened with yellow cards if they showed support for LGBTQ+ people during the tournament by wearing the OneLove armband. England and Wales chose not to wear the armbands in support during the previous World Cup, where host country Qatar also has laws against LGBTQ+ people.