Iranian-Americans flocked to the Los Angeles stadium where Iran will play its first match at the 2026 World Cup on Monday, with some calling on Iranians to unite and forget politics while others held anti-government signs.
The team arrived on the field, having flown to the United States on Sunday from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, and arrived in Los Angeles just as an agreement was announced to end the US-Iran war.
They are scheduled to play New Zealand in Group G at 6pm local time.
In Los Angeles – home to the largest community of Iranians outside of Iran, many of whom fled the country after the Islamic Revolution – Iranian American soccer fans say they are torn between excitement to see the team on the world’s biggest stage, anger at Tehran’s crackdown on protesters and concern about Washington’s bombing campaign.
By 4pm local time, an estimated 300 to 500 protesters had gathered outside the stadium, waving anti-government signs and flags. Some communities have said they do not want to attend the match as it would mean supporting the Iranian government.
Others have indicated they will go and try to smuggle in protest symbols, including Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag, which is the same color as the current official flag but has a different lion-and-sun motif.
Iran has threatened to stop the match if unofficial flags are brought in or slogans are chanted.
