Iran rejected his party's nomination against Egypt in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup as the “LGBTQ+ Pride Party” and called it an “unreasonable” decision, since homosexuality is criminalized in both countries.
“Both we and Egypt have protested. It is an unreasonable decision that seems to support a particular group. We will certainly address this matter,” the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mahdi Taj, said late on Monday in statements to state television.
A Seattle
The match between Iran and Egypt will be played at the Lumen Field stadium in Seattle on June 26, a date that coincides with the start of the LGBTQ+ Pride weekend, which is celebrated in this American city, so the local organizing committee had previously designated that the match played on that date would be dedicated to supporting that community.
At the weekend it became known that the teams of Egypt and Iran would play the match, which has generated rejection from these Muslim countries, which penalize relationships between people of the same sex.
Still, the Seattle Pride Games Advisory Committee (PMAC), which has no relationship with FIFA, has said it will continue with celebration plans amid the ironic situation.
In both Iran and Egypt, same-sex relationships are penalized with severe punishments, including the death penalty in some cases, according to complaints from defenders of this community, such as Human Rights Watch (HRW).
