Iranian American protesters gather as football team prepare for World Cup opener
Anti-government protesters gathered in Los Angeles, home to the biggest Iranian community outside Iran, ahead of the Iran-New Zealand match
Iranian Americans streamed into the Los Angeles stadium where Iran play their first match at the 2026 World Cup on Monday, with some calling for Iranians to band together and forget politics while others bore symbols protesting the government.
The team arrived at the stadium, having flown into the US on Sunday from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, touching down in Los Angeles just as a deal was announced to end the US-Iran war.
They are set to play New Zealand in Group G at 6pm local time.
In Los Angeles – home to the biggest Iranian community outside Iran, many of whom fled the country after the Islamic Revolution – Iranian American soccer fans say they have been left torn between excitement at seeing 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, around 300 to 500 protesters had gathered outside the stadium, waving anti-government signs and flags. Some in the community have said they do not want to attend the match as it would imply support for Iran’s government.
Others have indicated they will go and will try to smuggle in symbols of protest, including the pre-revolutionary Iran flag, which is the same colours as the current official flag but has a different lion-and-sun motif.
Iran has threatened to halt matches if unofficial flags are brought in or slogans chanted.