Gay rights in spotlight as Seattle’s World Cup Pride Match features teams from nations where same-sex love is illegal

The match is scheduled for June 26, 2026 – Pride weekend Friday – at Lumen Field and has been formally designated as the city’s “Pride Match” by Seattle’s host committee, as reported by Outsports. Earlier scheduling permutations could have produced a more comfortable pairing, such as New Zealand vs Belgium, but the final draw instead placed Egypt and Iran together in Group G.

The choice has sparked intense debate because same-sex relationships remain criminalised in both nations. In Iran, convictions can carry sentences up to the death penalty, while in Egypt, LGBTQ people have faced repeated crackdowns, arrests, and harassment, according to human-rights monitoring groups.

Seattle’s Pride Match Advisory Committee (PMAC) told Outsports that the game is intended as a celebration and a statement of local values, not of the participating governments. The committee said it wants to showcase Seattle and Washington as places “where everyone belongs”, using football’s global reach “to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs.”

Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2026 draw: Argentina, Spain, England get the rub of the green

Among the PMAC members is Eric Wahl, brother of the late US journalist Grant Wahl, who was detained in Qatar in 2022 for wearing a rainbow T-shirt to a World Cup match. Wahl posted on X that having Egypt and Iran in the Pride Match is “a good thing” because “there are LGBTQAI+ people everywhere” and all will be welcome to be themselves in Seattle.

The Pride Match initiative sits alongside a Juneteenth-themed fixture – the United States vs Australia on June 19 – and a wider programme of community events being developed by SattleFWC26. The host-city website is also running a Pride Match artwork contest, while stressing that the project is locally led and “not affiliated with or endorsed by FIFA.”

The backdrop is a lingering concern over LGBTQ safety at major tournaments after Qatar 2022, where rainbow symbols were restricted, and several fans reported confrontations or detentions inside stadiums. Advocacy groups, including the Sport and Rights Alliance, are urging FIFA to clarify anti-discrimination and ensure that queer supporters, particularly those from repressive regimes, are safe and welcome at the 2026 World Cup.

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