It’s a decision that won’t work. Iran, which will face Egypt at the next FIFA World Cup in the United States in June 2026, on Tuesday described as “irrational” the decision to dedicate this meeting to the LGBTQ + community.
Iran, which qualified in March for the 2026 World Cup, will have Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand as opponents in Group G, following the draw organized on Friday in Washington in the presence of American President Donald Trump.
The match against Egypt, which will take place in Seattle, an American city with a large homosexual community, has been designated an LGBTQ+ “pride match”, according to several media, which claim that the decision predates the draw.
“This is an irrational decision which favors a certain group,” criticized the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, on Tuesday, quoted by the Isna news agency.
” We (Iran) and Egypt we oppose this decision,” he added, without mentioning the term “pride match”.
Iranian state television for its part indicated that Iran would “contest” this decision with the International Football Federation.
Under Islamic law (Sharia), same-sex sexual relations are prohibited in Iran and can in some cases be punishable by death.
The Egyptian Football Federation expressed similar objections, according to Egyptian media. Homosexuality is not explicitly prohibited in Egypt but is often punished by vaguely worded laws prohibiting “debauchery.”
The Egyptian Football Federation expressed similar objections to Iran
The 2026 World Cup will mark Iran’s seventh participation in a World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Iran and the United States, once close allies, have not maintained diplomatic relations since 1980, in the wake of the hostage-taking at the American embassy in Tehran after the Islamic Revolution.
Iran, which initially announced a boycott of Friday’s draw to protest the American refusal to grant visas to several members of its delegation, finally attended.
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