“Sin punishable by death!” » Huge scandal before the World Cup: they want to BOYCOTT the match
Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Thursday, December 25, 2025 8:31 p.m. / Updated Thursday, December 25, 2025 8:41 p.m.
A scandal of major proportions erupted around a special World Cup match. Authorities in Seattle, one of the host cities in the United States, have declared June 27, 2026 a celebration of gay rights, especially since a World Cup match will be played in the city on that day. But Iran and Egypt, who are then due to face each other in Seattle, disagree at all.
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The 2026 World Championship will be held in 3 countries: USA, Mexico and Canada. It will take place between June 11 and July 19. It will be the first tournament in history with 48 teams;
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The World Championship will debut in an expanded format, with 48 teams, the participants being divided into 12 groups of four. From each group, the top two teams, as well as the best eight third-placed teams, will advance, thus forming the 32-team knockout phase;
Iran will do everything in its power to prevent the World Cup match against Egypt scheduled in Seattle from being designated as the “Pride Match” in honor of the LGBTQI+ movement.
“We have absolutely no interest in playing a World Cup match in the colors of the rainbow”emphasized the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, for the state media. Taj noted that the June 26 match coincides with the holy month of Muharram, in which Shiite Muslims commemorate the death of the Third Imam, Husayn ibn Ali, according to sportnieuws.nl.
Islamic sin punishable by death
According to him, the “Pride Match” is considered an insult to Islamic values in Iran, where homosexuality is seen as a sin and can even lead to the death penalty.
Homosexuality is also criminalized in Egypt, which also protested the “Pride Match” in a letter to FIFA.
FIFA has nothing to say
The Iran-Egypt match was billed as the “Pride Match” even before the World Cup draw and marks the debut of Seattle's annual PrideFest. FIFA only has authority over stadiums and the official fan festival in World Cup host cities, but not over local community activities such as Seattle's PrideFest.
According to Hana Tadesse of Seattle's World Cup organizing committee, the LGBTQI+ community is an essential part of the city.
