A group of English fans were unexpectedly denied permission by FIFA to bring their familiar flag into the stadium at the 2026 World Cup simply because it depicted an image of a submarine.
The 2026 World Cup is seeing stricter regulations regarding fan merchandise. Recently, a group of England supporters received notification from FIFA that the flag they intended to bring into the stadium was banned for a rather unexpected reason.
Following England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening match of Group L, thousands of Three Lions fans continued planning their support for the team’s clash against Ghana. As usual, many brought St. George’s flags bearing the name of their hometown or club to display in the stands.
However, the group of supporters from the town of Barrow ran into trouble. Their flag featured the name and emblem of Barrow AFC, along with the silhouette of a submarine, in honor of the local shipbuilding and submarine manufacturing industry.
When submitting the images for FIFA approval as required by regulations, this group of fans unexpectedly received a rejection notice. “The application has been rejected because this product contains images of weapons or military equipment (submarines).”
FIFA explained that images related to the military are not permitted on flags or banners in stadiums. The world football governing body also stated that it would reconsider if the submarine image was covered up or removed.
“These images are not permitted under FIFA policy. We would be happy to approve them if you would resubmit the images with the censorship removed.”
This decision has angered many English fans. John Little, a member of the Barrow Supporters’ Club, said he completely doesn’t understand the reason FIFA gave.
“I really can’t believe it, it’s so harsh that they’re doing this for such a trivial matter.”
He also argued that banning weapon symbols like guns or knives is understandable, but submarines are a completely different story. “I can understand guns or knives, but not submarines. You can’t just go to the supermarket and buy a submarine.”
Despite their dissatisfaction, the Barrow supporters said they would follow FIFA guidelines to be allowed to bring their flags into the stadium for England’s next matches.
This isn’t the first time FIFA has caused controversy at the 2026 World Cup regarding flags and banners. Previously, some Iranian fans were also banned from carrying pre-revolutionary national flags because they were considered symbols with political connotations.
While the controversy surrounding FIFA regulations continues to draw attention, England will quickly focus on their on-field mission. Thomas Tuchel’s team will face Ghana in their second Group L match of the 2026 World Cup at 3:00 AM on June 24th. Following their 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening match, the Three Lions only need one more win to move very close to securing a place in the knockout round.
