FIFA ban England fans from flying flag at the World Cup

A set of England fans have been banned from flying their flag at the World Cup this summer.

The supporters have been told that the imagery on their St George's flag is not permitted inside stadiums at the tournament.

The fans have been told to cover up certain parts of their England flag before they are allowed to take it to games.

Play our FREE match predictor and win £1k

The Barrow fans will have to cover up their club's crest

Barrow fan John Little has been told he has to cover up the Barrow AFC crest on their customised England flag due to it containing images of "military or weaponry".

The supporter has branded the decision as "harsh" and said he couldn't believe the decision.

Barrow badge — The submarine on the Barrow crest has caused problems for an England fan at the World Cup (Image credit: Barrow)

The problem with the Barrow crest is its famous submarine silhouette, which can be seen in the top of the club's shield.

FIFA has told Little that he cannot display and images of military or weaponry in the stadium and that he will need to cover it up before he is allowed to fly his flag in stadiums at this summer's World Cup.

Making things worse is the fact that Little has included an extra submarine silhouette on his specially designed England flag, as well as the one on the club crest.

Nevertheless, he feels the decision is a little unfair, telling the BBC: "I couldn't believe it really, it's a little bit harsh that they've done it for something like that.

"I could understand like guns and knives and what have you, but not a submarine."

Jude Bellingham of England (C) celebrates after scoring his team's third goal with Harry Kane (L) and Noni Madueke (R) during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia — John Little wanted to fly the flag at England matches this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to the BBC, the supporter was told by FIFA that such images are "not permitted under FIFA policy".

However, the governing body added: "We would be happy to approve, if you were willing and able to submit again with the imagery covered up."

Any larger flags or banners must be submitted to FIFA for approval before they're allowed into matches.

TOPICS

Ryan Gray is a freelance writer, covering mainly travel and occasionally sport. He previously spent two years as Sports Editor at the Watford Observer before turning his hand to travel writing, with his work appearing in various national UK publications. He has gone from providing matchday commentary for Blyth Spartans to covering FA Cup and Euros finals, as well as interviewing the likes of Claudio Ranieri, Alan Shearer and Glenn Hoddle, among other big names.