England football team’s LGBT+ fan group says it won’t attend World Cup 2026 over safety fears
Three Lions Pride will not be attending the 2026 World Cup (Image: thefa.com)
Three Lions Pride, the official LGBT+ supporters’ group for the England men’s national team, says it will not attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup because it cannot advise members they will be safe as openly LGBT+ fans.
The decision was announced in a statement released by the group and is described in an Amnesty International first-person account by Robert (name changed for protection), 33, a member of the group. He says: “And we cannot in good conscience say that people will be safe going to this year’s World Cup as openly LGBT+ fans, so we won’t have any visibility out there and that’s a choice that we’ve consciously made.”
World Cup 2026 is set to be hosted across Canada, the US and Mexico. Robert says he initially felt optimistic about attending, but now believes he would have to change how he presents in some locations. “As a queer person, I would not be able to visibly be myself in a number of World Cup locations and that is directly down to policy makers, law enforcement and the direction of travel in the US,” he says.
He also raises concerns for trans supporters, adding: “In the US in particular, there’s a dangerous rollback on human rights, in particular trans people’s rights, where the laws vary from state to state.”
How Three Lions Pride was formed
Robert says he helped start Three Lions Pride with friends ahead of the Russia World Cup because “There were LGBTQI+ groups for club teams, but not for our national sides.” He describes the group as a way for fans to travel together, “look out for each other”, and build safety in numbers.
LGBTQ+ supporters’ groups have grown across UK football in recent years, often organising meet-ups and visibility displays, as well as informal welfare networks for travel. Three Lions Pride’s visibility has also faced challenges, including a Pride banner ‘stolen’ during Euro 2024.
Criticism of FIFA engagement
Robert says World Cup 2026 has “disenfranchised LGBT+ fans like no other World Cup because it had so much hope”, and criticises what he describes as “the lack of engagement from FIFA and the organisers”.
Amnesty International is also promoting a petition calling on FIFA World Cup hosts to prioritise safety and rights protections for fans and communities during the tournament.
