Archive December 8, 2025

A 2026 World Cup fixture designated by organisers as an LGBTQ+ ‘Pride Match’ will feature two countries where homosexuality is illegal.

The local organising committee in Seattle, one of the host cities for the Fifa tournament next summer, have said the match at the city’s Lumen Field on 26 June will feature celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community.

The plans were put in place before the teams involved in the fixture were selected or the draw for the 2026 World Cup was made.

And following Friday’s draw and Saturday’s fixture allocation, it has been confirmed that the game on 26 June in Seattle will be the Group G match between Egypt and Iran.

The event – which is organised solely by the local committee and is not affiliated with Fifa – will take place on the Friday of Seattle’s official Pride weekend, with artists in Washington state invited to submit designs of artwork celebrating LGBTQ+ people for display around the game and city.

The Seattle Pride Match Advisory Committee, set up by organisers to help with the event, say the game will still go ahead as planned.

A spokesperson told LGBT news outlet Outsports: “The Pride Match has been scheduled to celebrate and elevate Pride events in Seattle and across the country, and it was planned well in advance.

“Soccer has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs. We are honoured to host a Pride Match and to celebrate Pride as part of a global football community.

“This match reflects our ongoing commitment to respect, dignity, and unity for all.”

It is not the first time an attempted gesture of support for LGBTQ+ people at the World Cup has run into issues.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – which also has laws against same-sex relationships – Fifa said players that wore the OneLove armband in support of LGBTQ+ people would receive yellow cards.

England and Wales were among the teams who had planned to wear the band, but decided against it following Fifa’s ruling.

Neymar is set to have knee surgery after playing in pain to help boyhood club Santos avoid relegation from Brazil’s Serie A.

The 33-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Santos claimed a 3-0 win over Cruzeiro on Sunday to avoid an immediate return to the second tier after promotion last season.

He did not give any any details on his expected recovery, adding: “I need to rest and then I will have this knee surgery.”

Neymar returned to Brazil in January after making just seven appearances over 18 months for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.

He has played a crucial role in Santos’ survival by scoring five goals in their last four matches of the season.

“I came for this, to try to help in the best way I can,” said Neymar. “These have been tough weeks for me.

“I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have played these matches because of this knee problem.”

Injuries have limited Brazil’s all-time top scorer, who has netted 79 goals in 128 appearances, from featuring for the national side since a defeat by Uruguay in October 2023.

Two weeks ago Neymar’s hopes of having one last crack at the World Cup looked like a forlorn dream.

The return to Santos had emphatically not lived up to expectations and the serious knee injury he suffered playing for Brazil in October 2023 was taking its toll.

Neymar spent the year repeatedly breaking down with niggling injuries. Unable to build up any rhythm, he looked a shadow of his former self; he could still strike a dead ball or see a pass, but he was unable to get away from his marker and glide past defenders.

Santos were deep in relegation trouble, and Neymar cut a frustrated, petulant figure, at war with everyone around him – opponents, referees, even his own team-mates.

His name would come up in every Brazil news conference – but this was a bomb that coach Carlo Ancelotti found easy to defuse, using general statements about the need to take only fully fit players to the USA.

The past 10 days might have saved Neymar’s World Cup. They have certainly shaken things up.

It looked as if his year might be over. He needs a minor knee operation. But, heavily strapped up, he took to the field and was the driving force behind three consecutive wins that carried Santos to safety- and even in to next year’s version of the Europa League equivalent.

There was a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Sport, a hat-trick in the 3-0 win away to Juventude, and no goals but a fine contribution in the clinching 3-0 win over Cruzeiro. Neymar had saved the best of the season until last.

A huge ‘but’ applies here. The fixture list could not have been easier. Sport and Juventude had already been relegated. Cruzeiro, in midweek cup semi-final action, fielded the reserves. These games have next to nothing to do with the World Cup.

But they have changed the scenario. Had Santos gone down, things looked bleak. Playing himself into the Brazil squad would have been impossible from the second division, and options of finding another club would have been limited.

Now, this changes. It is not certain that he will stay at Santos. His contract runs out at the end of the month, and many at the club are concerned that they cannot afford him. The probability now is that he will stay, for six months at least – and if not, the past few days have surely proved enough for another Brazilian club to offer him a short-term deal.

And with the first division kicking off at the end of January – two months earlier than usual – if he can come back flying from minor knee surgery then he has enough time to put himself in the conversation.

Neymar is set to have knee surgery after playing in pain to help boyhood club Santos avoid relegation from Brazil’s Serie A.

The 33-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Santos claimed a 3-0 win over Cruzeiro on Sunday to avoid an immediate return to the second tier after promotion last season.

He did not give any any details on his expected recovery, adding: “I need to rest and then I will have this knee surgery.”

Neymar returned to Brazil in January after making just seven appearances over 18 months for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.

He has played a crucial role in Santos’ survival by scoring five goals in their last four matches of the season.

“I came for this, to try to help in the best way I can,” said Neymar. “These have been tough weeks for me.

“I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have played these matches because of this knee problem.”

Injuries have limited Brazil’s all-time top scorer, who has netted 79 goals in 128 appearances, from featuring for the national side since a defeat by Uruguay in October 2023.

Two weeks ago Neymar’s hopes of having one last crack at the World Cup looked like a forlorn dream.

The return to Santos had emphatically not lived up to expectations and the serious knee injury he suffered playing for Brazil in October 2023 was taking its toll.

Neymar spent the year repeatedly breaking down with niggling injuries. Unable to build up any rhythm, he looked a shadow of his former self; he could still strike a dead ball or see a pass, but he was unable to get away from his marker and glide past defenders.

Santos were deep in relegation trouble, and Neymar cut a frustrated, petulant figure, at war with everyone around him – opponents, referees, even his own team-mates.

His name would come up in every Brazil news conference – but this was a bomb that coach Carlo Ancelotti found easy to defuse, using general statements about the need to take only fully fit players to the USA.

The past 10 days might have saved Neymar’s World Cup. They have certainly shaken things up.

It looked as if his year might be over. He needs a minor knee operation. But, heavily strapped up, he took to the field and was the driving force behind three consecutive wins that carried Santos to safety- and even in to next year’s version of the Europa League equivalent.

There was a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win over Sport, a hat-trick in the 3-0 win away to Juventude, and no goals but a fine contribution in the clinching 3-0 win over Cruzeiro. Neymar had saved the best of the season until last.

A huge ‘but’ applies here. The fixture list could not have been easier. Sport and Juventude had already been relegated. Cruzeiro, in midweek cup semi-final action, fielded the reserves. These games have next to nothing to do with the World Cup.

But they have changed the scenario. Had Santos gone down, things looked bleak. Playing himself into the Brazil squad would have been impossible from the second division, and options of finding another club would have been limited.

Now, this changes. It is not certain that he will stay at Santos. His contract runs out at the end of the month, and many at the club are concerned that they cannot afford him. The probability now is that he will stay, for six months at least – and if not, the past few days have surely proved enough for another Brazilian club to offer him a short-term deal.

And with the first division kicking off at the end of January – two months earlier than usual – if he can come back flying from minor knee surgery then he has enough time to put himself in the conversation.

Neymar is set to have knee surgery after playing in pain to help boyhood club Santos avoid relegation from Brazil’s Serie A.

The 33-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Santos claimed a 3-0 win over Cruzeiro on Sunday to avoid an immediate return to the second tier after promotion last season.

He did not give any any details on his expected recovery, adding: “I need to rest and then I will have this knee surgery.”

Neymar returned to Brazil in January after making just seven appearances over 18 months for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.

He has played a crucial role in Santos’ survival by scoring five goals in their last four matches of the season.

“I came for this, to try to help in the best way I can,” said Neymar. “These have been tough weeks for me.

“I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have played these matches because of this knee problem.”

Injuries have limited Brazil’s all-time top scorer, who has netted 79 goals in 128 appearances, from featuring for the national side since a defeat by Uruguay in October 2023.