As Iran chases the World Cup, its U.S. diaspora is divided between protesting and cheering

People protest outside Los Angeles Stadium before the World Cup Group G soccer match between Iran and New Zealand in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Iranian American demonstrators amassed Monday outside Iran’s first World Cup match, waving the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flags banned inside the stadium and calling for change in Tehran. Protesters snatched an official Iran flag from one fan, video shows, stomping on and ripping it.

Iran’s participation in the World Cup, beset by challenges since the war’s outbreak, has divided the U.S. diaspora. Rallygoers outside the stadium near Los Angeles contended the team is synonymous with Iran’s government, while fans clad in red-and-green and scarves, their cheeks striped with face paint, filed past saying they were separating soccer from politics.

Southern California is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran, many who arrived after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Just hours before kickoff against New Zealand, a Los Angeles judge upheld FIFA’s ban on the pre-revolutionary flag at matches. But the flags and related apparel were nonetheless spotted inside the stadium. Ella Bah, 42, brought extra clothing to conceal the lion-and-sun flag she wore tied around her like a dress.

“We’re not here to cheer them on,” she told The Associated Press. “We’re here to be the voice for the people inside Iran.”

When soccer and geopolitics collide

Several hundred demonstrators attended the rally outside the stadium in Inglewood, California. Some said they also planned to watch the team play. As kickoff neared, event security broke up shouting matches between protesters and fans and were eventually joined by sheriff’s deputies.

Rameileh Jaffrey, 46, said she wants a change in Tehran’s government to bring freedom to the country she left a dozen years ago.

“They are not my team. They are a government team,” she said. Even so, she said she hopes Iran will win, and has plans to see the team play later in the tournament.

A woman protesting jeered Kia Keanh and his family as they walked by wearing T-shirts supporting the team.

“I’m just here to watch the sport, it’s not about the regime,” he said. “I’m just here for a World Cup game, to enjoy it with my family.”

Iran’s participation in the tournament has been fraught with conflict because of the country’s war with U.S. and Israeli forces. Late Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had reached a deal with Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the region and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf.

After the war’s outbreak, the team moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona, and some of the country’s soccer officials were not granted visas to enter the United States. Many in the diaspora have mixed feelings over how to show their support of the Iranian people, but not the government.

“We play for every Iranian, be it in the diaspora or in Iran. People have different opinions, but we are here to unite people and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians wherever they live,” team captain Mehdi Taremi said at a press conference Sunday.

A wide range of views

Kourosh Safavi, 42, traveled to see Iran play from Dallas, Texas, with his 11-year-old son Jibreel. While he was born in the U.S, Safavi said he wanted to cheer on the country of his ancestors, where soccer means so much.

“They’re playing for the people, and I just hope and pray that they have success, that they can bring the people in Iran happiness,” he said.

Babby Ramesy, a 50-year-old telecommunications engineer, said with so many fans at the game being played in the heart of the largest Iranian American community, it feels like Iran had the support of a home team.

“We just support the team,” he said. “I really don’t care about politics.”

Cheers and boos greeted the start of Iran’s national anthem. Several people holding the lion-and-sun flag near the pitch turned their backs.

Some Iranian American soccer fans have said the team is tied up in politics, dissuading them from supporting the squad. But in the past, Iranian athletes have faced serious consequences for speaking out. In 2022, a prominent former member of the national team was arrested for allegedly protesting against the country’s leadership, and star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn’t selected for the World Cup squad this year, reportedly because of a social media post that angered authorities.

Still in their street clothes, many of the Iranian players walked onto the field nearly two hours before kickoff. Thousands of fans already in the building greeted them with loud cheers and whistles.

The flag question

Some Iranian Americans are also upset about FIFA’s rule barring political flags from being flown. The Iranian American Institute for Voices for Liberty filed a lawsuit last week to circumvent the ban on the pre-revolutionary flag, but a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Monday the ban could stand.

“It is a tremendous burden to change a long-standing stadium protocol for a massive event in a period of hours,” Judge Curtis Kin said, according to The Athletic. “It is hard to see how FIFA could make a change at one stadium and not the rest.”

Outside the stadium, Parsa Ezati, 21, and his mother brought the official Iranian flag of the current government to the protest so that people could stomp on it. Many passersby took the opportunity to walk over it, some giving it an extra scuff or taking a minute to spit on it.

“It represents the ayatollahs that killed so many Iranians and have massacred people in my generation,” Ezati said. “FIFA only accepts this flag on the floor.”

AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham contributed to this report.

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Amy Taxin And Jaimie Ding, The Associated Press