World Cup 2026: Iran objects to ‘Pride Match’ branding for Egypt game

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by By News AgenciesDecember 9, 2025 at 01:49 PM
World Cup 2026: Iran objects to ‘Pride Match’ branding for Egypt game

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

Iran's football chief has objected to the planned "Pride Match" branding of their World Cup 2026 game against Egypt, scheduled for June 26 in Seattle, USA. Local organizers intended the match to coincide with Seattle's Pride Weekend in support of the LGBTQ community. The head of Iran's Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, called the branding an "irrational move" and stated that both Iran and Egypt have raised objections. Iranian state television reported that Tehran would appeal to FIFA regarding the matter. Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, and while not expressly outlawed in Egypt, it is often punished. The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Keywords

world cup 2026 100% lgbtq pride match 90% iran 80% egypt 70% homosexuality 70% fifa 60% pride weekend 50% football 50% human rights 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source
Al Jazeera
Political Lean
Center (0.00)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Iran

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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