The Soccer World Cup will be held across Canada, the United States and Mexico in 2026, and there’s pressure on governing body FIFA to keep a planned Pride round in Seattle.
The Pride round was decided ahead of the fixtures being randomly drawn, and the two teams selected to play the game are both countries where homosexuality is illegal. The game takes place on the same weekend as Seattle Pride, and inline with the USA marking the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
The match would see Egypt and Iran take to the field. Two countries who criminalise homosexuality. In Egypt people convicted of same-sex activity can face up to 17 years in prison with hard labour. While it has been estimated that between 4,000 to 6,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed in Iran since 1979.
Egypt has filed a formal request for the Pride element of the game to be taken away, but one of the local organisers has argued that it should remain, noting that FIFA asked people to respect local culture when the last World Cup was held in Qatar.
Eric Wahl, who is a member of the Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee, says there has been no contact from Fifa – and that the celebrations are part of the culture of Seattle, so should be respected by visiting teams.
“I know Egypt are petitioning Fifa, but it raises ethical issues,” Wahl said in an interview with the BBC. “In Qatar they said we had to respect the culture.”
“I can’t anticipate what Fifa will do, I hope they do the right thing,” said Wahl. “We haven’t heard from them, and I am a little surprised they have not reached out, but in general Fifa’s approach is respectful silence – that’s good.
“With regards to issues like human rights, they will stay out.” Wahl said.
There has been no official response from FIFA regarding the situation. Earlier this month the Egyptian Football Association released a lengthy statement calling for the Pride round to be removed, arguing that the game should stay clear of commenting on political or social issues of a “sensitive or of a contentious nature”.
“The Egyptian Football Association explained in the letter that, while Fifa is committed to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all fans, and in order to maintain the spirit of unity and peace, it is necessary to avoid including activities that could provoke cultural and religious sensitivities between fans present from both countries, Egypt and Iran, especially since such activities are culturally and religiously incompatible with the two countries.
“The federation also relied on Fifa’s established principle of respecting cultures and encouraging all parties to organise events in a way that respects the beliefs and identities of the participating communities.
“Therefore, in order to ensure that the match is held in an atmosphere of respect and focus solely on the sporting aspect, the Egyptian Federation categorically rejects these calls and demands that Fifa not hold any events or performances related to supporting homosexuality inside the stadium on matchday.” they said.
