\n
SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 Seattle’s stadium is expected to be filled with rainbow flags for two days Friday. world cup<\/span> A match between teams representing two of the most oppressive countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.<\/p>\nit was just a coincidence The city’s “pride match”<\/span> In the end, with progress from Group G still up in the air, it became a high-stakes match between Iran and Egypt, but this move was met with much opposition from both countries. But Seattle officials and its soccer community say this unique combination is an opportunity to show the city’s inclusivity, not just the commonalities seen at the World Cup.<\/p>\nJess Fishlock, captain of the National Women’s Soccer League’s Seattle Reign, said this is what the World Cup is all about.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think there’s any sport that creates more unity and diversity than the World Cup and has a global event that brings together so many cultures,” she told The Associated Press on Thursday. \u201cI think you can see that firsthand at the Pride Match.\u201d<\/p>\n
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Iran gay man executed<\/span> Egypt charged with sodomy prosecute gay and lesbian people<\/span> Outward expressions of gay pride were suppressed. rainbow flag.<\/span><\/p>\nIn December, each country lodged a complaint with FIFA about the Pride Match, asking for the celebration to be cancelled.<\/p>\n
Hana Tadesse, a spokeswoman for Seattle’s World Cup organizing committee, said FIFA treats the rainbow flag as a human rights statement and will allow fans to wave it inside stadiums.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan was asked about the Pride celebrations and said his team was focused on football.<\/p>\n
“We are interested in the football on the pitch,” he said in Arabic. \u201cWe respect fair play and the rules that everyone should follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei made similar remarks during Thursday’s press conference when asked about what will happen at Lumen Field.<\/p>\n
“We’re only going to talk about soccer, how beautiful the game is and how much fun it can be,” Galenoei said in Persian in response to a reporter’s question. <\/p>\n
Friday’s game coincides with Seattle’s annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, with Pride Watch parties planned in some areas. The city’s popular Pride Parade takes place over the weekend.<\/p>\n
Ilona Rowley, president and CEO of the Greater Seattle Business Association, an LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce, said Seattle is one of the most inclusive cities in the country. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it gives us an opportunity to showcase who we are as a city, who we are as people, and how diversity makes us stronger,\u201d Lowry said in an interview.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 Seattle’s stadium is expected to be filled with rainbow flags for two days Friday. world cup A match between teams representing two of the most oppressive countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. it was just a coincidence The city’s “pride match” In the end, with progress from Group G still<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-37281","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer"},"yoast_head":"\n
Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup ``Pride Match'' - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup ``Pride Match'' - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 Seattle’s stadium is expected to be filled with rainbow flags for two days Friday. world cup A match between teams representing two of the most oppressive countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. it was just a coincidence The city’s “pride match” In the end, with progress from Group G still\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-26T08:54:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/\",\"name\":\"Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup ``Pride Match'' - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fdb2F642F7be8a1eb216c6a240e0614f663862Fff9d4b4103f14b3cbaeec9b3268cac0e.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T08:54:37+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fdb2F642F7be8a1eb216c6a240e0614f663862Fff9d4b4103f14b3cbaeec9b3268cac0e.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fdb2F642F7be8a1eb216c6a240e0614f663862Fff9d4b4103f14b3cbaeec9b3268cac0e.jpeg\",\"width\":980,\"height\":653},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup “Pride Match”\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\",\"name\":\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"description\":\"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\",\"name\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup ``Pride Match'' - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup ``Pride Match'' - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","og_description":"SEATTLE (AP) \u2014 Seattle’s stadium is expected to be filled with rainbow flags for two days Friday. world cup A match between teams representing two of the most oppressive countries for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. it was just a coincidence The city’s “pride match” In the end, with progress from Group G still","og_url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/","og_site_name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","article_published_time":"2026-06-26T08:54:37+00:00","author":"admin_ok9yktt6","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin_ok9yktt6","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/","name":"Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup ``Pride Match'' - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fdb2F642F7be8a1eb216c6a240e0614f663862Fff9d4b4103f14b3cbaeec9b3268cac0e.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-06-26T08:54:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fdb2F642F7be8a1eb216c6a240e0614f663862Fff9d4b4103f14b3cbaeec9b3268cac0e.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2Fdb2F642F7be8a1eb216c6a240e0614f663862Fff9d4b4103f14b3cbaeec9b3268cac0e.jpeg","width":980,"height":653},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/iran-and-egypt-face-off-in-world-cup-pride-match\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Iran and Egypt face off in World Cup “Pride Match”"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/","name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","description":"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9","name":"admin_ok9yktt6","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin_ok9yktt6"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/eplvip.com"],"url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}