England’s official queer supporters’ group, “Three Lions Pride,” has announced that they will not attend this summer’s FIFA World Cup in the United States. “We cannot guarantee the safety of our members, and we cannot silently endorse FIFA’s troubling decisions on ticketing and security by signaling our approval through visible participation as a group,” the fan club wrote on social media.
The World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with roughly three-quarters of the games staged in the United States, including the final. England will play all three of its group-stage matches in the United States. The home nation, along with Spain, is among the top favorites to lift the trophy.
“Increased risk of discrimination and violence”
In their statement, the English fan club explained that the hope for a safe environment for queer fans at the 2026 World Cup had been “completely and sustainably crushed.” In parts of the United States, there is a “dangerous rollback of human rights.” Transgender and nonbinary people are particularly at heightened risk of discrimination and violence. “If officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shoot their own citizens—as occurred this month in Minneapolis when Renee Good was killed in front of her wife—every fan is endangered by overzealous policing.”
“Three Lions Pride” also criticized the high ticket prices and FIFA’s lack of anti-discrimination protections. Fans with disabilities, they argued, are being shut out from the tournament as well.
Facebook / 3LIONSPRIDE
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“Three Lions Pride” was founded in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and now counts around 350 members. For years, the fan club has been visibly present at England’s matches. In 2022, the group decided not to travel to the World Cup in Qatar, citing safety concerns. They warned at the time that neither FIFA nor the host countries had provided adequate guarantees for queer fans. In Qatar, fans displaying rainbow flags were repeatedly harassed by security and authorities (TheColu.mn reported). (dk)
