With your support of the XXV. FIFA reaffirmed its commitment to the LGBTQ+ football community at the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
FIFA supplied equipment such as match balls, jerseys for substitutes, captain’s armbands and yellow and red cards for referees, and welcomed the teams with a message of greeting as part of their support.
Pavel Klymenko, FIFA Ambassador for Diversity and Anti-Discrimination, was also on site at the tournament, which was played in a seven-on-seven format with 36 men’s and eleven women’s teams. It was first supported by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and organized by Argentina’s first diverse football team (Los Dogos).
“As President and Founder of the IGLFA, I would like to thank FIFA, the AFA and Los Dogos for supporting and hosting the teams that came from all over the world as ambassadors of LGBTQ+ sports and during the XXV. IGLFA World Cup enjoyed the hospitality and culture of the Argentine people,” said John Natale.
“This tournament has contributed a lot to social change in Argentina. We wanted to hold the tournament here to draw attention to the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, especially in football,” emphasized Claudio Blanco, coordinator at Los Dogos and organizer of the tournament, which took place from November 3rd to 9th in the Argentine capital became. “We hope to achieve further progress in our country with continued collaboration with the AFA.”
The No Discrimination campaign, which FIFA is implementing in partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, raises public awareness in order to ban discrimination from football. The campaign was visible at all games at the AFA’s Lionel Andrés Messi training facility and at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, where Argentinos Juniors play their home games.
In addition to this support, FIFA has concluded a financing agreement with the IGLFA. With the contract, which runs from October 2024 to December 2026, FIFA underlines its support for the tournament and the LGBTQ+ football community.
