Iran fans unite behind team during tense World Cup draw
Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand in Los Angeles as fans with rival flags largely set politics aside once the match began.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Iran’s World Cup match against New Zealand became a rare point of shared celebration for Iranian fans in Los Angeles, Al Jazeera reported, despite visible political divisions around the game. The 2-2 draw mattered beyond the score because it tested whether football could hold together a diaspora split by war, opposition politics and views of Tehran.
According to Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Harb, Iranian supporters heavily outnumbered New Zealand fans at Los Angeles Stadium on June 15. The crowd included supporters carrying the Islamic Republic flag and others displaying the pre-1979 lion-and-sun flag associated with opponents of Iran’s current government.
Those differences were clear before and around the match, Al Jazeera reported. But inside the stadium, Iranian fans repeatedly chanted for Iran and reacted together when Team Melli pressed toward goal.
The match finished 2-2, with Iran twice coming from behind against New Zealand, according to Al Jazeera. Each Iranian goal brought loud celebrations across the stadium, and the outlet reported no major incident after earlier concerns about possible unrest.
Protest outside the stadium
Al Jazeera reported that a small group demonstrated outside the venue before the game. The protesters waved Israeli flags, voiced support for opposition figure Reza Pahlavi and urged US President Donald Trump to resume war with Iran, even though Washington and Tehran had reached a ceasefire deal, according to the outlet.
The demonstrators also chanted against Hamas and Hezbollah, Al Jazeera reported. One banner showed Iranian players’ faces crossed out and described the squad as an “IRGC Team,” a reference to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Kourosh Kiumarsi, one of the protesters, told Al Jazeera that he viewed the national team as representing the Iranian government. Asked about the Israeli flags, he said Israel and the United States had attacked the government rather than the Iranian people.
Inside, political expression did not disappear, according to Al Jazeera. Fans wore lion-and-sun clothing and carried those flags despite FIFA rules barring political symbols at international matches, and some spectators wore slogans including “Make Iran Great Again” and “free Iran.” Al Jazeera said FIFA did not respond to its request for comment.
War messages in the stands
Al Jazeera also reported other messages tied to the recent US-Israel war on Iran. One fan, identified only as Arash, wore a shirt reading “Minab 168,” a reference Al Jazeera said was to 168 children killed at a girls’ school in Minab during the first day of the conflict.
Arash told Al Jazeera his message was about keeping schools off limits from violence, regardless of country or politics. During the game, another group of Iranian fans displayed a “MINAB 168” message in the stands, the outlet reported.
Al Jazeera said Palestinian and Israeli flags were also visible in the stadium. Many fans jeered the Iranian national anthem, which the outlet reported is viewed by opposition activists as a symbol of the government.
Iran’s participation in the tournament had been complicated earlier in the year by the war, according to Al Jazeera. The team used Mexico as its base camp even though its group-stage matches were in the United States, after the Trump administration refused to host the squad, the outlet reported.
Once play began, the focus shifted sharply toward the match, Al Jazeera reported. Iran missed a chance to beat a lower-ranked team but recovered from deficits twice, struck the woodwork once and gave supporters on both sides of the flag divide moments to cheer together.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.