London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jan 23, 2026

World Cup 2022: LGBT Wales fans vow to boycott Qatar tournament

World Cup 2022: LGBT Wales fans vow to boycott Qatar tournament

Some Wales football fans are to boycott the Fifa World Cup in Qatar due to the host country's stance on gay rights.

Wales qualified for the tournament for the first time in 64 years after winning their play-off final against Ukraine.

However Tracy Brown, of Wales' official LGBTQ+ supporters' group, said many members did not believe it was safe to travel to the Middle East in November.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and punishable with prison sentences.

"I, for one, won't go," said Ms Brown, from the Rainbow Wall supporters' group.

"On one hand I'm stoked that we've got there, it's been a long time coming.

"If it was anywhere else in the world I would be thinking I want to be there supporting.

"But I'm going to be sat at home watching us play, because I don't feel safe to go."

Equality campaign group Kick It Out previously announced the formation of a working group to look at inclusivity issues in Qatar.

Fatma Al-Nuaimi, communications executive director of Qatar's supreme committee for organising the tournament, told BBC Sport: "It's a tournament for everyone, a tournament of firsts, and a tournament where everyone will be welcome."

But Ms Brown said that had not convinced her, or others, to change their mind.

"Just saying it's safe while a competition is on doesn't seem right," she said.

"So Fifa said you're safe to be yourself for the period of the World Cup, but when I leave there's still an LGBTQ+ community who pretty much live in hiding.

"They're not safe and I have to stand by my values.

"I want to go to a country where I feel safe and welcome all the time."

Wales players celebrate qualifying for their first World Cup since 1958


The decision by Fifa to host the World Cup in the country has been widely criticised, with Qatar's wider record on human rights also under scrutiny.

Amnesty International have also been critical of Qatar's record on gay rights, as well as its treatment of migrant workers.

Felix Jakens, head of campaigns at Amnesty International UK, said the organisation had "multiple concerns".

"This is a time when footballers in our own country are finally coming out as gay, where there's more acceptance around LGBT people's participation," he said.

"It's shocking that the World Cup is being held in a country where being gay is criminalised."

The Independent newspaper's international editor, David Harding, worked as a journalist in Qatar for four years.

He said supporters who were planning to go to the World Cup would need to be prepared for a very different experience to previous international events.

"People will have to modify their behaviour. That is just a given, you're going to a very strict, conservative, religious country," he said.


Mr Harding said he was confident most LGBTQ+ supporters who chose to go to Qatar would not encounter serious problems, with authorities eager to avoid controversy.

"The LGBTQ community in Qatar are very angry at what Fifa and Qatari officials are doing," he said.

"In effect, they're saying for three weeks we'll go easy, we won't do anything, and then we'll treat Qatari LGBTQ people as bad as we treat them all the time once the World Cup is over.

"There will be some crunch points, if people wave flags or start a protest. I think these sorts of things could lead to problems. The police will not take your side if they feel you are breaking the law".

Ms Brown said she did not know of any LGBTQ+ supporters from the UK who planned to travel.

"Some of my friends are part of [England's official LGBTQ+ supporters' group] the Three Lions Pride Group and they are also having the exact same conversations," she said.

"The vast majority of us wouldn't feel safe.

"I feel like we're missing out on a huge competition because we're choosing to be our authentic selves."


2022 World Cup chief Hassan Al Thawadi tells Dan Roan hosts "ready to welcome the world"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
Will AI Finally Make Blue-Collar Workers Rich—or Is This Just Elite Tech Spin?
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
AI vs Work: The Battle Over Who Controls the Future of Labor
Buying an Ally’s Territory: Strategic Genius or Geopolitical Breakdown?
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Arctic Power Grab: Security Chessboard or Climate Crime Scene?
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
×