England’s official LGBTQ+ fan group to boycott World Cup over ‘dangerous’ US human rights rollbacks

The official LGBTQ+ supporters group for the England football team has announced it will not have a “visible presence” at the 2026 Men’s World Cup due to what they describe as the United States’ “dangerous rollback of human rights”.

Three Lions Pride, which represents queer England fans, published a strongly worded statement on its website on Thursday (15 January), criticising the United States’ reversal and attacks on human rights, particularly LGBTQ+ rights.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to take place from 11 June to 19 July across the US, Canada and Mexico, with 16 cities hosting the tournament – 11 in the US, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

The three countries were announced as joint hosts of the sporting competition back in 2018, news that – at the time – came as a relief to many LGBTQ+ football fans, as that year Russia was hosting, with Qatar was set to be in charge in 2022. Both Russia and Qatar have abysmal records on LGBTQ+ rights, with many queer fans choosing not to attend those tournaments in-person due to the restrictive laws and regressive attitudes.

However, in the years since that hosting decision, the United States’ reputation as a nation which is safe for LGBTQ+ travellers – indeed, same-sex marriage was legalised across the US in 2015 – has diminished under the Trump administration. According to the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, a widely shared global index that ranks countries on LGBTQ+ legal rights and safety conditions the United States dropped from 41st place in 2024 to 48th place in the 2025 edition.

In their statement, Three Lions Pride said the US, Canada and Mexico tournament has long been in the diaries of LGBTQ+ fans as they believed it would be an opportunity “for queer fans to enjoy a tournament focused more on the football rather than their personal safety”.

However, “that hope, that optimism, is well and truly shattered”, the organisation said.

“As a group that provides support and community for all the LGBT+ family, the rhetoric and dangerous rollback of human rights in the US has caused considerable concern to fans who were previously planning to attend the 2026 World Cup. There is a fear that our trans+ family would be at high risk of violence and discrimination, our butch lesbian family would be caught in the crosshairs of anti-trans legislation around bathrooms and our queer family generally would be a target for abuse.

“This is unsafe and unacceptable,” the statement reads.

Since returning to office in January 2025 for his second term, Donald Trump has enacted hundreds of executive orders that are reshaping the government and country in his image, with many of those attacking the LGBTQ+ community, trans people in particular.

These orders include proclaiming the official policy of the US is that there are “only two sexes”, banning transgender people from serving in the military, restricting gender-affirming healthcare for trans youngsters under the age 19 and barring trans women and girls from female sports. Trump has also moved to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes across the government and in the military, which has led to several big name US businesses – including Walmart, Target, Ford, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s – dropping their DEI policies, programmes and targets.

“We cannot guarantee the safety and security of our members”

Three Lions Pride went on to say that a number of factors have contributed to this decision, including the US government’s travel bans on certain nations, US visas planning to require five years of social media history and the controversial deployment of ICE to various US cities – which at the start of the year lead to the death of a Renee Nicole Good, a mother and US citizen – alongside ticket prices.

“Three Lions Pride, in light of the issues around the tournament, will not be having a visible presence at the 2026 Men’s World Cup,” the group concludes.

“We cannot guarantee the safety and security of our members and cannot endorse the appalling decisions of FIFA around ticketing and safety by tacit acceptance through our visible attendance as a group.

“For any of our members, or queer fans generally, who are travelling or attending games at the World Cup – we will not abandon you. We will continue to provide advice and support remotely, including key contacts should any issues arise. Further details will be sent to members before the tournament, and will be available to non-members through our email and social media on request.

“This is a tournament that had so much promise. Less than six months out from the tournament it only promises to line FIFA’s corrupt pockets whilst TV viewers see empty seats and exclude loyal fans whilst creating a real risk of numerous human rights violations based on disability, race, gender and sexuality.

“Today, and every day, Gianni Infantino should feel ashamed.”