A member of Three Lions Pride, the official LGBTQ+ supporters' group for the England men's football team, has said the group will not attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup because of concerns over the safety of LGBTQ+ fans.
Speaking to Amnesty International, "Robert", 33, said the tournament - being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico - had left many queer supporters feeling "disenfranchised" despite initial hopes that it would be the most inclusive World Cup yet.
"This is probably the one that has disenfranchised LGBTQ+ fans like no other World Cup because it had so much hope," he said. "We knew Russia was going to be difficult. We knew Qatar was going to be almost impossible. But this one had so much optimism."
Robert, whose name has been changed for protection purposes, said football had been a major part of his life since childhood. A lifelong Arsenal supporter, he recalled attending matches with his father and falling in love with the atmosphere of the game.
However, as he began to understand his sexuality as a teenager, he increasingly felt alienated by homophobic abuse heard at football grounds. "It made me feel like football didn't like me," he said. "As much as I loved football, it wasn't a space where I could be myself."
He eventually stopped attending matches before helping to establish Three Lions Pride ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The group was created to provide a safe and visible space for LGBT+ England supporters and has since supported fans attending major international tournaments.
"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 policymakers, law enforcement and the direction of travel in the US."
According to Robert, attitudes within football have improved significantly in recent years. "There's definitely been a huge improvement in European football, particularly in the UK," he said. "You don't hear as many homophobic chants now, and if you do, other supporters are more willing to challenge them."
But despite that progress, he said concerns about the treatment of LGBTQ+ people in parts of the United States had led Three Lions Pride to decide against travelling to the World Cup.
"When I first heard it was going to be in Canada, the US and Mexico, I felt like it would be my first time attending where I could really enjoy it and be myself," he said.
"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 policymakers, law enforcement and the direction of travel in the US."
Robert said LGBTQ+ supporters often face additional considerations that other fans do not.
"We don't get to just focus on the football," he said. "We have to constantly ask ourselves: am I safe here?"
Three Lions Pride has chosen not to organise an official presence at the tournament, saying it cannot assure members they will be safe travelling as openly LGBTQ+ supporters.
"As much as the focus of Three Lions Pride is visibility, it's also our job to support our queer fan base with travel advice and support," Robert said. "We cannot in good conscience say that people will be safe going to this year's World Cup as openly LGBT+ fans."
He also expressed concern about the potential impact on transgender supporters, pointing to varying laws and policies across different US states.
Robert criticised FIFA for what he described as a lack of engagement with affected fan groups and accused football's governing body of failing to uphold its commitments on inclusion and human rights.
"Football is about a global community coming together to enjoy the beautiful game, but FIFA are tarnishing this with both their actions and their inaction," he said.
He called on FIFA to work more closely with supporters and human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, to ensure all fans can attend major tournaments safely.
"We will continue to work with organisations such as Amnesty International to deliver a unified and powerful message about respecting everyone as equal human beings and ultimately holding FIFA to account," he said.
"If they don't change course, they run the risk of destroying a wonderful game."
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