When Seattle was granted a World Cup match for this month — June is Pride Month — the host committee made plans to show support for the LGBTQ+ community with a “Pride Match Day.” And then FIFA drew Iran and Egypt for that spot in the schedule.

Neither country is happy about it.

A spokesperson for the Iran national team voiced loud criticism of the “Pride Match Day” without mentioning it or the LGBTQ+ community by name, issuing a statement to The Athletic that merely referred to “this movement”:

The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran takes this matter seriously and has clearly communicated its position to FIFA.

Iran and Egypt are two Muslim countries with deep cultural and religious commonalities, and the views expressed by both federations reflects the values and beliefs shared by the people of both countries.

Our position is that no ceremonies, or promotional activities associated with this movement should be present inside the stadium or as part of the match environment. This position has been communicated to FIFA through the appropriate channels.

We believe FIFA should take into account the views and concerns of the participating teams when considering matters related to the match environment and stadium presentation.

FIFA has been informed of this shared position by both countries and is expected to take the necessary steps to ensure that no related ceremonies or promotional activities take place within the stadium or as part of the official match environment.

The Athletic’s report noted that the Iranian spokesperson also said that the government “has relayed to FIFA that it does not wish to see symbols or representations of the ‘movement’ within the stadium,” but FIFA has confirmed that it views the World Cup as an “inclusive event” and will permit rainbow flags at all its matches throughout North America this year.

The Egyptian Football Association expressed similar objections in its own statement, declaring it would refuse to participate in “the holding of any activities related to supporting homosexuality” during its match against Iran, because this “directly contradicts with the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in the Arabic and Islamic communities.”

The plans for Pride Match Day were conceived by the Seattle host committee before Iran and Egypt were named in the draw for the game last December. Both countries criminalize same-sex relations with fines, prison sentences — and in the case of Iran, a maximum penalty of death — and “immediately sought to halt any link to Pride events,” reported The Athletic.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino “attempted to play down the ‘Pride Match’ branding” in an interview earlier this year, saying, “I must clarify that there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup. There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organised by external organizations will be taking place in the city. But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”

Thus far, according to The Athletic’s report, any “Pride Match Day” programming by the Seattle host committee will be outside the stadium’s perimeter and not an official part of the match itself, “but local soccer fans in Seattle may wish to bring rainbow flags in on the occasion of Pride weekend.”

FIFA released an updated statement on Wednesday:

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds. Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events.

General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026 Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.

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