FIFA, Seattle officials monitoring Iran’s participation in World Cup

The attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran could have an impact on the FIFA Men’s World Cup and at least one match scheduled to be played in Seattle at Lumen Field.

Iran’s participation in the World Cup was one of the uncertainties that arose amid myriad questions following Saturday’s attacks.

There were no official statements from the Iranian Football Federation on Saturday, and comment from FIFA was limited to Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom saying the focus is on “everybody participating,” when asked by reporters at an event in Wales.

Related

More

Iran is scheduled to play Egypt on June 26 at Lumen Field — or Seattle Stadium as it will be known for the tournament — in the last group-stage game for both teams. It’ll be the fourth of six matches to be played in Seattle during the tournament.  

The Seattle local organizing committee said it was “monitoring” the situation when reached on Saturday, but didn’t comment further.

Grafstrom told reporters Saturday that FIFA is monitoring developments, but the focus is on having an event with all the teams.

“I read the news the same way you did this morning. We had a meeting today, and it would be premature to comment on that in detail. But, of course, we will monitor the developments around all issues around the world. We had a final draw in Washington where all teams participated, and, of course, our focus is to have a safe World Cup with everybody participating,” Grafstrom said.

Iran is also scheduled to play two group-stage games in Los Angeles and have its training base in Tucson, Ariz.

Iran’s match in Seattle had already garnered international attention following the draw in December because homosexuality is criminalized in both countries — Iran and Egypt — scheduled to play at the start of Pride weekend in Seattle.

The Seattle local organizing committee has moved forward with planned Pride celebrations surrounding the match, although those will happen outside the stadium. 

The Egyptian Football Association sent a letter to FIFA following the scheduling of the match, saying it “categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran.”

Iran considers homosexuality illegal, and it is punishable by up to death in the country. It’s not expressly outlawed in Egypt, but is often punished under loosely interpreted laws on “debauchery.”  

The Pride celebration is not the only one planned by the local organizing committee to coincide with matches during the tournament. There is a Juneteenth celebration planned for the June 19 match between the U.S. and Australia.

Iranian nationals are currently prohibited from traveling to the U.S. due to a ban imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration. The ban does allow exemptions for athletes, support staff, coaches and families participating in events like the World Cup to travel to the U.S. But several members of the Iranian delegation had their visas denied last year before the World Cup draw.