▲ A large flag from the former Iranian regime displayed outside the World Cup stadium.
As the Iranian national football team played its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, mixed reactions from Iranian-Americans erupted both inside and outside the stadium.
According to reports from the Associated Press and The Athletic on June 15 (local time), a large number of Iranian spectators gathered at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, for the match between Iran and New Zealand.
Some attendees expressed their opposition to the current Islamic regime by waving the old flag of the Pahlavi dynasty, which features a golden lion and sun, and held signs with the slogan "Make Iran Great Again."
Aida Monfared, a protester, criticized the team in an interview with the New York Post, stating, "The Iranian national football team does not represent the Iranian people. They represent the Iranian government that has massacred 40,000 people in just two days."
At the same time, another group of protesters marched, calling for the separation of politics and sports.
Some fans were seen wearing shirts supporting the Iranian football team, drawing jeers from the protesters.
Los Angeles is home to the largest population of Iranian immigrants in the United States.
The majority of them are people who went into exile after the Pahlavi dynasty was ousted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and they tend to be vocal in their opposition to the current regime.
Political messages continued inside the stadium as well.
Although FIFA had banned the entry of the old Iranian flag into the stadium, it was spotted in various parts of the stands.
Fans who wore shirts featuring the Pahlavi dynasty flag were denied entry and were only allowed to enter after wearing them inside out.
Mehdi, a fan who entered the stadium wearing such a shirt, emphasized, "I made this into a shirt because it is the true flag of my homeland."
Another woman, who had wrapped the old flag around her body like a dress, said, "I am not here to cheer. I am here to make the voices of the Iranian people heard."
These spectators booed during the Iranian national anthem, frowned at the Iranian team's performance, and cheered for New Zealand's goals.
Additionally, eight spectators sitting behind the goal drew attention by holding up a banner that read "MINAB 168," condemning an incident in which 168 children were killed at a school in the Minab region of Iran due to a U.S. airstrike.
This banner was later confiscated.
In the nearby stands, another banner appeared that read "42,000 #IranMassacre."
This figure refers to the number of its own citizens the Iranian regime has allegedly massacred this year.
Iran finished its opening match of the day with a 2-2 draw against New Zealand.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.