Republic of Ireland Captain Katie McCabe Banned from Wearing 'One Love' Armband During World Cup

FIFA has announced that players will be banned from wearing One Love armbands at the Women’s World Cup in Australia this summer.

Ireland captain Katie McCabe is among those who will be denied the right to wear the accessory following FIFA’s announcement last Friday.

Instead, the Arsenal and Republic of Ireland winger, who is an openly-queer athlete, is permitted to wear a FIFA-approved ‘Unite for Inclusion’ armband with a similar One Love colour scheme.

Players have the option of seven other official armbands, promoting causes like ‘Ending Violence Against Women’, ‘Football is Joy Peace Love Passion’, ‘Indigenous Peoples’, ‘Gender Equality’, ‘Education for All’, ‘Zero Hunger’ and ‘Peace’.

Captains can also opt to wear FIFA’s ‘Football Unites the World’ armband instead.

FIFA has teamed up with several @UN agencies to harness the power of football and spread positive messages globally during all 64 matches of the upcoming @FIFAWWC. #FootballUnitesTheWorld

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 30, 2023

Players will be sanctioned if they wear the One Love Armband, a sentiment that echoes FIFA’s stance during the Qatar World Cup last winter.

The Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team showcased its support for the LGBTQ+ community by wearing rainbow-coloured shirt numbers during their recent 3-2 win over Zambia in Tallaght Stadium on 22nd June.

The Republic of Ireland will kick-off their 2023 World Cup Campaign against hosts Australia in front of a sold out 80,000 capacity Accor Arena in Sydney on 20th July.