War and protests overshadow Iran's World Cup opener in Los Angeles

Arrival in Los Angeles

Iran's national football team, known as Team Melli, landed in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 14, after a 20-minute flight from Tijuana, Mexico, where they established a last-minute camp. The United States had denied visas to about 15 members of the Iranian support staff, forcing the relocation from the originally planned base in Tucson, Arizona. A press conference is scheduled for 15:45 local time at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a 70,000-seat venue near the international airport. The team is required by FIFA to be in the host city the day before its first match.

Geopolitical tensions

The team's arrival comes amid a war triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Until recently, Iran's participation in the tournament was uncertain. Playing on American soil while the conflict continues has added layers of political friction. Iran's sports ministry and football federation have repeatedly had to negotiate logistical and diplomatic hurdles.

Protest plans by the diaspora

Los Angeles, often called "Tehrangeles," is home to an Iranian diaspora estimated at 500,000. Many of them oppose the Islamic Republic, especially after its violent crackdown on a new popular uprising in January that, according to NGOs, killed thousands. Huge protests erupted in LA at that time, with the pre-revolutionary flag—a lion and sun motif—flooding the streets. Now, with the global spotlight on the World Cup, organizers have chartered buses from across California to bring demonstrators to Inglewood. Sid Mohasseb, a 65-year-old engineering professor helping to coordinate, expects 40,000 to 50,000 people around the stadium.

“I can't find sleep because of the atrocities they face.”

Some activists also plan to enter the stadium and jeer the Iranian anthem, replicating scenes from Qatar in 2022.

The flag dispute and match-stoppage threat

The central flashpoint is the pre-1979 flag, which protesters intend to display. Sara Barahman, a 22-year-old Iranian-American political science student, told AFP: "We don't care if they stop the match. It's not even our team. It's not the national team, it's the Islamic government's team. Whether they win or lose, we don't care." Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said his country would closely watch "flags and slogans" and would halt the match if hostile symbols appeared. On Saturday, Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian football federation, reminded FIFA that only the official Islamic Republic flag should be shown in stadiums. FIFA regulations ban political accessories, but enforcement has been uneven in past tournaments, leaving uncertainty over how ticket-holding protesters will be handled.

“We don't care if they stop the match. It's not even our team. It's not the national team, it's the Islamic government's team. Whether they win or lose, we don't care.”

The road ahead

Iran faces New Zealand in its Group G opener on Monday, June 15. It will then play Belgium on June 21 at the same stadium and Egypt on June 26 at Lumen Field in Seattle. The team has never progressed beyond the group phase in a World Cup.