Football upstages politics as Iranians rally behind their team at World Cup

Published 16 June 2026 · sports

In opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles, Iran’s Team Melli gets cheers from thousands of anti-regime supporters. Click here to share on social media

In opener against New Zealand in Los Angeles, Iran’s Team Melli gets cheers from thousands of anti-regime supporters. Click here to share on social media Los Angeles – “I’m sure when we score a goal today, everyone will be cheering.” That was the prediction of Iranian fan Parsa Tafreshi, who had travelled from New York to Los Angeles to see Iran take on New Zealand on Monday. His words would prove largely true. The game ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw, and each time Iran – known as Team Melli – scored, the stadium erupted in deafening celebrations. There were two opposing sets of Iranian flags in Los Angeles, home to a large Iranian American community that is largely staunchly opposed to the governing system in Tehran. Some fans waved the Islamic Republic flag, adorned with the name of God. Others opted for the pre-1979-revolution flag featuring the lion and sun, used by the Iranian opposition. But when Team Melli were building up an attack, their supporters sang in unison. Chants of “Iran, Iran” rang throughout the stadium, and the fans held their breath collectively each time Iran’s attackers came near New Zealand’s goal. Concerns of unrest around the game did not materialise. Iranian fans vastly outnumbered their New Zealand counterparts at the stadium, and the game ended without any major incident.

Anti-team protest A small group of demonstrators had gathered outside the venue, waving Israeli flags and chanting in support of opposition figure Reza Pahlavi. They also called on United States President Donald Trump to resume the war with Iran, although Washington and Tehran have already reached a ceasefire deal. “President Trump, finish the job,” they chanted on a loud megaphone. Protesters also shouted slogans against the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. One of the demonstrators held a banner featuring the faces of Team Melli players with red crosses on them. “IRGC Team,” it said, referring to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, with red ink meant to resemble blood dripping from the letters. Protester Kourosh Kiumarsi told Al Jazeera that the Iranian squad is the “regime team”. Asked about the Israeli flags at the demonstration, he said: “Israel and the USA attacked the regime and helped the people of Iran. They are not at war with Iran. They are at war with the Islamic Republic regime.” Despite the intensity of the slogans at the protest, it was small and contained. “I love that all the hype was just outside of the stadium,” said Sudi Farokhnia, who wore a green, white and red wig and a shirt featuring the lion and sun flag. “Once you walked into the stadium, all you could hear was Iran, Iran, Iran.