World Cup 2026: Iran's spirited display against New Zealand eases tensions among divided supporters
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Bassil Mikdadi
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Tue, 06/16/2026 - 11:35
Iran's football team has spent years caught between politics and sport, but in Los Angeles most fans were willing to rally behind Team Melli once again
Mohammad Mohebbi and Mehdi Ghayedi celebrate after Iran scored a second goal against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Stadiumon 15 June 2026 (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images/AFP)
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Iran's national football team has been a lightning rod for opponents of the Islamic Republic, but a spirited display against New Zealand on Tuesday won over many in attendance.
Ask the average person about the power of the World Cup and they are likely to recall a moment when a nation united behind a football team that represented citizens of all backgrounds.
Iran's Team Melli once held that power, but in recent years the team has become almost as polarising as the politics that dominate much of Iranian life.
"My first memory with the sport is watching Iran beat the United States at the 1998 World Cup. I was at my grandparent's house in Tehran and everyone was in the streets celebrating," Sina, 27, a Team Melli fan, told Middle East Eye.
In a bygone era, support for the national side was one of the few things that united Iranians, whether young or old, religious or secular, supportive of the government or opposed to it.
As a result, it was common to see the flag of a previous era in the stands at Iran matches outside the country.
At tournaments such as the AFC Asian Cup and Fifa World Cup, the number of Shir-o-Khorshid (Lion and Sun) flags often rivalled the number of official Iranian flags. Their bearers were largely drawn from Iran's diaspora, which numbers more than five million people.
'I want them to do well and reignite this love people used to have for the national team'
- Hossein Alizadeh, travelling fan
A decade ago, before the advent of ephemeral social media posting through platforms such as Instagram Stories, the team's players were largely insulated from criticism.
Fans were eager to project their own beliefs onto the team, while players generally avoided expressing political opinions.
Politicians across the political spectrum sought to associate themselves with the national team's successes.
A clip of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad training with the team ahead of the 2006 World Cup remains on YouTube.
In 2018, when Iran defeated Morocco, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former shah, released videos of himself celebrating the victory that sent Team Melli to the top of its group.
For many in the diaspora, disagreements with the Islamic Republic were put aside for 90 minutes. That, however, changed at the last World Cup in Qatar.
When politics overtook football
Nationwide protests erupted in Iran weeks before the tournament began, after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
Demonstrations spread across multiple cities, and demands to end the mandatory enforcement of the hijab were echoed by Iranians abroad.
The national team attempted to convey solidarity with protesters in the hope of easing tensions and focusing on its campaign to reach the knockout stages for the first time.
Then came one of the most unusual matches of the tournament.
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On 21 November 2022, Iran faced England at Khalifa International Stadium. Several players had already expressed solidarity with protesters, and the team collectively decided not to sing the national anthem. The hope was that the gesture would satisfy more activist sections of the fan base.
Instead, for the first time at a World Cup, Iran's national anthem was loudly booed, prompting Iran's state broadcaster to cut away from the ceremony. Signs bearing the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom" were visible throughout the stadium.
When Mehdi Taremi scored twice to reduce the margin of a 6-2 defeat, the response was muted.
The reaction took many by surprise. Iranian officials had long assumed the stadium environment would remain largely apolitical. Qatari organisers were also caught off guard. Their primary concern before the tournament had been the presence of gay pride symbols in the stands; they had not anticipated political protests spilling over into the stadiums.
The local organising committee, Fifa and the Iranian Football Federation subsequently agreed on arrangements for Iran's remaining matches.
Fans were permitted to bring Women, Life, Freedom signs and Shir-o-Khorshid flags to other games, but not to Iran's matches against Wales and the United States. The players, meanwhile, chose to sing the anthem before both fixtures.
"I used to be a big fan of the team but when they chose to sing the [national anthem] at the last World Cup my feeling towards them changed. It was like a slap in the face," Sina told MEE.
A different atmosphere in Los Angeles
In the four years since that World Cup, Iran has undergone significant change.
Sanctions, economic turmoil, protests and war have all taken their toll. The Mahsa Amini protests did deliver on one key demand: in major cities across Iran today, many women walk in public without hijabs. While the law remains in place, enforcement has largely receded.
In February, the US and Israel attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. During the bombardment, 168 schoolchildren, mostly girls, and teaching staff were killed in the southern city of Minab.
Ahead of the World Cup, the Iranian Football Federation dedicated the team's participation to the children and instructed players to wear lapel pins bearing the number 168 in official photographs.
During a series of warm-up friendlies, players also held photographs and schoolbags during the national anthem ceremony.
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Iran's participation in the US required intervention by Fifa at the highest levels of the US government as a result of the Trump administration's visa restrictions and heavy handed approach to teams from some Global South countries, especially Iran.
Two matches in Los Angeles had been expected to provide a home-away-from-home atmosphere. Instead, the team was forced to relocate its training camp to Tijuana at the request of the US government.
When the squad arrived in Los Angeles for the match against New Zealand, it was met by a small group of protesters from the Iranian diaspora carrying American, Israeli and pre-revolution Iranian flags.
There are an estimated 700,000 Iranians in southern California, but the region is also a centre of anti-Islamic Republic sentiment. As a result, what awaited Iran at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Tuesday night was uncertain.
Fifa had already announced that Shir-o-Khorshid flags and other political symbols would not be permitted inside stadiums.
Under tournament hosting agreements, Fifa controls both stadiums and their surrounding perimeters on match days. A lawsuit filed by members of the community was dismissed, although a small number of the flags could still be seen inside the venue.
Iran's Football Federation had its ticket allocation, amounting to eight percent of the stadium's capacity, revoked by Fifa at the last minute, but most supporters had purchased tickets independently.
In a statement, the federation blamed the US for Fifa's action, saying: "The United States has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums. The incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organisation of the world's biggest football event."
National anthem greeted by cheers
One supporter in attendance was Hossein Alizadeh, 40, who travelled from Toronto for the match.
"I am going there to support the Iranian national team. It is an institution, it belongs to all Iranians and represents everyone regardless of political stripes," he said.
"I want them to do well and reignite this love people used to have for the national team.
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"The anti-national team people dominate the discourse in the media and online," he added.
Inside the stadium, however, the atmosphere was markedly different. The national anthem was greeted by more cheers than boos, and every Iranian attack was met with loud encouragement.
A nervous silence descended after Iran conceded early, but the stadium erupted when Ramin Rezaeian equalised in the 32nd minute.
The distance between fans and team appeared to narrow further in the second half. When Iran fell behind again, supporters responded by lifting the team. Chants of "Iran, Iran" echoed around the stadium as Mohammad Mohebi headed home Rezaeian's cross to level the score.
A winner did not come for Team Melli. Yet Iran's presence on US soil before a largely supportive crowd felt significant after months of war and uncertainty.
The team will have another opportunity to reward its southern California supporters on Sunday when it faces Belgium.
World Cup 2026
Iran's spirited display against New Zealand eases tensions among divided supporters
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