Fans will be allowed to bring rainbow flags when Egypt face Iran in Seattle’s “Pride” World Cup match, FIFA said on Thursday, sparking an ugly clash between local celebrations and two countries where homosexuality is criminalised.
The team’s Friday game is on Seattle’s Pride weekend, an arrangement that came after a game that ended in December pitted the two Muslim-majority countries against each other.
Egypt and Iran protested after the matches were drawn, with the Egyptian Football Association saying such events conflicted with its cultural and religious values. Both countries impose harsh penalties on LGBTQ people.
“The 2026 FIFA World Cup is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds. Fans of all genders and backgrounds are welcome at matches and events,” FIFA said in a statement.
“General human rights statements, including rainbow flags and other flags representing gender and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026 Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums.”
FIFA added that the items will be allowed as long as they are used “in a manner consistent with the code,” which limits the size of flags or banners and prohibits items deemed “political.”
A ‘Pride Match’ organized by Seattle, not FIFA
FIFA has distanced itself from Pride celebrations, insisting that the celebrations are organized by Seattle’s local World Cup committee and not by the international soccer body.
“I must make it clear that there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the World Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino told Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche in January.
Participants carry a rainbow flag on the street during the Pride parade in Montreal, Sunday, August 10, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle and, on that day, events organized by foreign organizations will be taking place in the city. But that has nothing to do with the game itself.”
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA threatened yellow cards for captains wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing its rules against political slogans.
Seattle planners remain undeterred, viewing the spotlight as a platform to promote acceptance.
“The Pride celebration… has happened this weekend for 50 years and more,” Hedda McLendon, from the Seattle-based local World Cup organizing committee, told Reuters.
“It will happen this weekend, it will happen long after the World Cup.”
