FIFA officials could be forced to move the World Cup group stage match between Egypt and Iran due to complaints from each country about a Pride event.
Before the 2026 World Cup draw took place last week, a local organising committee in Seattle decided to dedicate the match at Lumen Field on June 26 to the LGBTQ+ community because it falls just before Pride weekend.
However, the game that falls on that day will see Egypt face Iran, where homosexuality is illegal.
Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iran Football Federation, condemned the decision and said: “Both Egypt and we have objected, because this is an unreasonable and illogical move that essentially signals support for a particular group, and we must definitely address this point.”
Meanwhile, the Egyptian FA said it had sent a formal letter to Fifa secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom, rejecting any events linked to LGBTQ+ support during the match.
Despite the objections, Seattle organisers have confirmed they are “moving forward as planned” with Pride activities in the city.
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However, football journalist Kaveh Solekhol believes there is a chance that another match between different nations could be moved to replace it.
Appearing on Sky Sports this week, he said: “They might be agitating behind closed doors to have this game moved to Vancouver.
“There is another game – New Zealand vs Belgium in the same group – so one game could be in Seattle and the other could be in Vancouver.
“There is a possibility if Fifa wanted, they could switch the games around.
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“But, just because the federations of Egypt and Iran are unhappy about something, it doesn’t necessarily mean they reflect the views of the people who will be attending those games.
“I would say let’s wait and see how those fans react to that game being played during Pride celebrations.
“You might be surprised that a lot of those fans would actually happily take part in those celebrations.
“And a lot, some, many, a few might not agree with the statements being made by their football federations.”
Discussing the Pride events taking place in the city at the end of June next year, Hana Tedesse, the vice-president of communications for Seattle Fifa World Cup 2026, said: “As the local organising committee, SeattleFWC26’s role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium.
“SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.”
Should the match between Egypt and Iran be moved to Vancouver, it would take place at BC Place.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino has already suggested he is ready to take games off planned World Cup host cities if Donald Trump demands it.
Trump previously claimed he might intervene to strip games from Seattle, Boston and San Francisco
