World Cup Pride Match will be Iran vs. Egypt

Seattle’s World Cup “Pride Match” will feature Iran and Egypt, two countries where homosexuality is illegal, on June 26.

The Group G clash, taking place on a Friday at Lumen Field, coincides with the city’s pride weekend.

The Pride Match was planned before the teams were selected and in advance of the Friday’s 2026 World Cup Draw in Washington D.C.

“The Pride Match has been scheduled to celebrate and elevate Pride events in Seattle and across the country, and it was planned well in advance,” a spokesperson of the Pride Match Advisory Committee told Outsports.

“It is a Host City–led expression of Seattle and Washington State’s commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone belongs: players, fans, residents, and visitors alike. Soccer has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures and beliefs.

“We are honored to host a Pride Match and to celebrate Pride as part of a global football community. This match reflects our ongoing commitment to respect, dignity, and unity for all.”

The local organizing committee in Seattle, which is one of the U.S. host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, announced a Pride Match design contest over the summer — inviting artists from Washington State “with credibility in authentically representing the LGBTQ+ community” to submit their concept.

In a disclaimer on the Seattle World Cup website, the organizing committee said “the Pride Match design is an independent creation specifically for the Seattle FWC26 LOC and is not an official FIFA asset. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by FIFA.”

Last month, the Seattle World Cup committee announced the three finalists selected for their original Pride Match designs.

Lumen Field will host six World Cup events in total, including the USMNT’s second group stage match on June 19.

The anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising is June 28, commemorating when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ran into issues regarding LGBTQ+ rights in the Middle East.

Homosexuality in Qatar is illegal and punishable up to three years in prison.

At the time, FIFA said players that wore “OneLove” armbands in support of LGBTQ+ community would receive yellow cards.

Security also cracked down on rainbow banners and other Pride related logos and messaging during the 2022 World Cup.

American journalist Grant Wahl — who died of an ascending aortic aneurysm in Qatar while covering the World Cup — tweeted that he was not let into the stadium for the US-Wales match because of his shirt, which had a soccer ball surrounded by a rainbow.

His brother, Eric Wahl, who is a member of the Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee and an out gay man, said he believes the Iran-Egypt match “is a good thing” because “all are welcome to to be themselves in Seattle.”