A protester took to the pitch during the match between Uruguay and Portugal, causing play to be halted before being escorted away by officials.
The man was carrying a rainbow flag, and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the messages "Save Ukraine" on the front and "Respect for Iranian Women" on the back.
The Group H match in Lusail City, Qatar was halted for five minutes on Tuesday morning while officials detained the protester.
Security officials chased the protester down and the flag was dropped on the field before he was escorted away.
The referee picked up the flag and left it on the touchline, where it stayed for a few moments before a worker came and collected it.
The spectator was ushered away through a tunnel. It was not clear if the protester faced any charges or had been detained by police.
In the first week of the tournament in Qatar, seven European teams lost the battle to wear - aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion - during World Cup matches.
Under a FIFA edict, the captains would have received yellow cards if they wore the armbands during games.
Fans also complained they were , a symbol of LGBTIQ+ rights, into the stadiums of the conservative Islamic emirate.
Qatar's laws against and treatment of LGBTIQ+ people were flashpoints in the run-up to the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East.
The Gulf state has said everyone was welcome, including LGBTIQ+ fans, but that visitors should respect the nation's culture.
The incident occurred during the second half of the game at Lusail Stadium, which Portugal won 2-0.
The incident occurred during the second half of the game at Lusail Stadium, which Portugal won 2-0. Source: Getty / picture alliance
'Well done to him': Craig Foster congratulates protester, criticises FIFA
Craig Foster, a guest host and analyst on the SBS World Cup coverage team described the protest as an "important moment" and "a statement about human rights" at a tournament roiled by controversy over issues ranging from the treatment of LGBTIQ+ people to conditions faced by .
The said FIFA had "disgracefully" shut down "players' freedom of speech" at the Qatar World Cup, referring to a decision by the football federation to warn captains of seven European teams against wearing with the threat of a yellow card.
"They have the right to speak about human rights, whether they're on the field or off or in warm-ups or in press conferences," he said on air following the protest.
"And very much like the [International Olympic Committee], the Olympics and [IOC president] Thomas Bach, whose crackdown on Olympic athletes' right to speak, so too disgracefully has FIFA for in this tournament, and even to the extent of wearing an armband, which is simply standing for non-discrimination of the LGBTI community, which is quite unprecedented, extraordinary," he said.
According to FIFA rules, team equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images, and during competitions, the captain of each team "must wear the captain's armband provided by FIFA".
FIFA said last week all captains of all 32 teams "will have the opportunity" to wear an armband with the slogan "No Discrimination" in the group games.
However, Mr Foster said that FIFA was "taking this discretionary approach to Black Lives Matter or Ukraine advocacy, and then that's okay, but LGBTI is not okay, for example".
"So the game is in quite a mess when it comes to athlete advocacy at the moment. And for that reason a supporter had to take the responsibility to make a statement and well done to him," he said.
The protester was tackled by tournament officials and escorted off the field. Source: Getty / Marc Atkins
Mr Foster said the protest was an "important moment" because it demonstrates that "censorship that has occurred" of national teams and players, "which is something that simply shouldn't be acceptable".
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