Speculations about the possibility of relocating the Iran vs. Egypt match; FIFA remains silent!
Local authorities associated with the organizing committee of the 2026 World Cup in Seattle, USA, decided to hold a special event to support the LGBTQ community coinciding with the Iran vs. Egypt match. This decision has received negative reactions from the football authorities of both countries, prompting some major international media outlets to speculate about the possibility of relocating the match.
The UK-based ESPN news outlet, referring to complaints filed by the Egyptian and Iranian football federations to FIFA and their strong opposition to holding an LGBTQ-supporting event alongside the match, wrote: “FIFA only controls stadiums and official fan zones in World Cup host cities and should not interfere in social events such as the Seattle festival. So far, FIFA has refrained from commenting on this issue and has not responded to formal inquiries by the Associated Press regarding the potential swapping of the two Group G final matches (so that Belgium vs. New Zealand would take place in Seattle instead of Vancouver, and Iran vs. Egypt in Vancouver). If FIFA were to side with the federations of the participating teams and prefer Seattle, it would risk being accused of a double standard.”
Another prominent outlet covering the potential relocation of the Iran vs. Egypt match is the UK-based newspaper The Sun. Referring to the protests from the Egyptian and Iranian football federations over turning their match into an LGBTQ-supporting event, the newspaper writes: “Before the World Cup draw, the local organizing committee in Seattle had decided to dedicate the June 26 match at Lumen Field to supporting the LGBTQ community, as it fell exactly one week before their dedicated observance. However, this event coincides with a match between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is illegal.”
The Sun, citing informed journalists, adds: “If the Iran vs. Egypt match is moved to Canada, it would take place at BC Place Stadium. FIFA President Gianni Infantino had previously hinted that some U.S. host cities could be stripped of their hosting rights at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, who had recently claimed he might intervene to take hosting away from Seattle, Boston, and San Francisco.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s Global News also mentioned the possibility of relocating the Iran vs. Egypt match to Vancouver. The site wrote: “Officials organizing the LGBTQ-supporting event say it will take place on the scheduled date, which could lead to the Iran vs. Egypt match being moved to Vancouver. However, Vancouver’s LGBTQ community has also told Global News that if the match is relocated, there would likely still be a supporting event there. Morgan Auger from the Vancouver Pride Society says: ‘The World Cup matches fall right in the middle of Pride season in June, an event celebrated across North America.’”
Source: Tasnim News Agency
