Iran holds New Zealand to a 2‑2 draw in Los Angeles while diaspora protests turn the stands into a political battleground
Chants against the ayatollahs, whistles during the national anthem and two rival flags turned Iran’s World Cup opener into a noisy political stand‑off, even as the team fought back twice to draw 2‑2 with New Zealand.
A stadium split in two
When the Iranian national anthem echoed through SoFi Stadium on Monday night, thousands of Iranians whistled, turned their backs or waved the pre‑1979 lion‑and‑sun flag. Hundreds had already rallied outside the Inglewood arena, denouncing the Islamic Republic. Inside, the same divide persisted: one part of the crowd backing the ‘Team Melli’ players, the other insisting the squad represents the regime, not the people.
This team is not the Iranian people’s team – it is the regime’s.
Los Angeles hosts the largest Iranian diaspora outside Iran, roughly 500 000 people, and many are exiles who fled after the 1979 revolution. Organisers had hoped to sustain a boycott, but when Ramin Rezaeian equalised in the 35th minute and Mohammad Mohebi headed in the 2‑2 in the 64th, the stadium erupted, showing that sporting loyalty can override political anger for many fans.
Two flags, one community
FIFA had warned it would confiscate opposition banners adorned with the lion and sun, and several were indeed seized at the gates. Yet supporters still smuggled them inside and displayed them openly. Two women, one holding the official flag and another waving the old emblem, briefly clashed in the concourse. “It’s heartbreaking to see both sides confront each other in front of the stadium,” said Arash, an Iranian‑American who came to show love for his homeland.
It’s the mullahs’ team, so we cannot support it.
Many protesters stressed they wanted the players to win while detesting the regime they are forced to represent. Others, like activist and journalist Assal Pahlevan, had campaigned for a complete boycott and called the match a missed opportunity to demonstrate that Iranian expatriates have broken with Tehran.
A team on the move
Iran’s participation was in doubt for months after the 28 February outbreak of war with the United States and Israel. The squad was forced to abandon its planned base in Tucson, Arizona, and relocate to the Xolos training facilities in Tijuana, Mexico. American authorities rejected visa applications for about fifteen delegation members. The team is permitted to enter the United States only 24 hours at a time, flying from Tijuana to Los Angeles, playing, and immediately returning.
“We were supposed to stay tonight and recover,” explained coach Amir Ghalenoei. “Instead they told us right after the match: ‘You must leave immediately.’” Captain Mehdi Taremi said the short hop from Tijuana turned into a five‑hour ordeal of travel and security checks on Sunday. The federation even had to negotiate access to its allocated ticket quota.
We are the most mistreated team in the entire World Cup.
A draw under pressure
On the pitch, New Zealand took an early lead, but Iran responded through Rezaeian before the break and again through Mohebi after falling behind in the second half. The 2‑2 result leaves both teams with a point in group G; Iran faces Belgium on 21 June (again in Los Angeles) and Egypt on 27 June in Seattle. The coach said the logistics had compromised his players’ physical and mental readiness, but praised their courage.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino watched from the presidential box as the geopolitical dimension intruded on the tournament: an official was overheard expressing frustration at the anthem protest. For the diaspora, the match was never only about football. As student Sara Barahman, who turned her back to the pitch during the anthem, put it: “You cannot act as if everything is normal.”
