FIFA Allows LGBTQ+ Gay Flags at Iran-Egypt Match, Bans Iran’s Lion and Sun Flag

25/06/2026

SEATTLE, Jun 25: FIFA has confirmed that fans will be allowed to bring rainbow flags to the World Cup group-stage match between Egypt national football team and Iran national football team in Seattle, while prohibiting Iran’s pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag from stadiums under rules banning political symbols.

The decision comes as the match coincides with Seattle’s Pride weekend. The fixture gained attention after both Iran and Egypt objected to Pride-related events, saying they conflicted with their cultural and religious values.

FIFA said the 2026 FIFA World Cup is an “inclusive event” and that rainbow flags and other symbols representing sexual orientation and gender identity are permitted under its stadium code of conduct. However, FIFA clarified that Seattle’s Pride activities are locally organized and are not an official World Cup “Pride Match.”

Iran’s football federation had asked FIFA not to allow symbols or representations related to the LGBTQ+ community inside the stadium. Iran criminalizes same-sex relations under its laws, with penalties that can include severe punishments.

Meanwhile, FIFA maintained its ban on the Lion and Sun flag, which was associated with Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying it considers the symbol political in nature. The governing body’s stadium rules prohibit political, offensive or discriminatory materials at World Cup venues.

Earlier this month, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected a legal challenge seeking to overturn FIFA’s ban on the flag, ruling that FIFA, as a private organization operating private venues, could enforce reasonable restrictions on displayed symbols.