Iran, Egypt Protest Function in 2026 World Cup ‘Pleasure Match’

[ad_1] Iran and Egypt have filed formal protests with FIFA after Seattle designated their upcoming sport on the 2026 World Cup as a “Pleasure Match” to align with the town’s annual Pleasure weekend.

The group-stage matchup, set for June 26 at Lumen Discipline, was positioned on the schedule months after Seattle had introduced its Pleasure-themed plans, prompting backlash from each international locations, the place homosexuality is criminalized.

Egypt’s Soccer Federation stated it had despatched a letter to FIFA Secretary-Normal Mattias Grafstrom rejecting “in absolute phrases” any LGBTQ-related actions surrounding the sport. The Egyptian officers argued that the initiative would contradict the cultural and non secular norms of each individuals and urged the world soccer physique to make sure the occasion remained targeted solely on sport moderately than native celebrations.

Iran issued the same objection, with Iranian Soccer Federation President Mehdi Taj criticizing Seattle’s designation as “unreasonable conduct that helps a particular group.” Iranian officers stated they plan to inform FIFA of the broader diplomatic penalties.

<img id="11184687" alt="" caption="Football supporters are seen with LGBT pride flags on their way to the stadium before the Euro 2020 soccer championship group F match between Germany and Hungary at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, June 23, 2021." credit="Matthias Schrader" sourcealt="" sources="["AP Photo"]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="7248" height="5428" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" src="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP21174617844432.jpg?w=640&quality=80&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP21174617844432.jpg?w=750&quality=80&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP21174617844432.jpg?w=1000&quality=80&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP21174617844432.jpg?w=1200&quality=80&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP21174617844432.jpg?w=1360&quality=80&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP21174617844432.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AP21174617844432.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1"/> This can be a growing story. Extra to observe.