FIFA under pressure over ban on Iran's pre-revolutionary flag at the 2026 World Cup
FIFA is facing new political and legal pressure ahead of the 2026 World Cup following reports that it will ban the entry of Iran's pre-revolutionary flag featuring the lion and sun motif into stadiums. According to reports by Iran International, RFE/RL and The Independent, the world football organization intends to apply rules that exclude from stadiums items that organizers consider political, offensive or discriminatory. Such an interpretation is particularly sensitive because a large part of Iran's matches will be played in the United States of America, where a large Iranian diaspora lives and where freedom of political expression is protected by the constitutional framework.
The dispute concerns the flag that was in use in Iran before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, on which the symbol of the lion and sun appeared alongside the green, white and red tricolor. This sign is used by part of the Iranian diaspora and among opponents of the authorities in Tehran as a historical and political symbol, while the authorities of the Islamic Republic associate it with the former monarchist order. According to Iran International, organizations and individuals from the Iranian opposition claim that banning such a flag in American stadiums would constitute a restriction of expression, and some activists are announcing legal steps against FIFA in the US.
Stadium rules as the basis for the ban
According to available reports, FIFA has not opted for a special public statement in which it would name exclusively the Iranian flag with the lion and sun, but instead refers to the general Stadium Code of Conduct for the 2026 World Cup. FIFA's official document states that the rules apply to all matches of the tournament, as well as to stadium areas, entrances, exits, parking lots and other zones connected to the competition. The document emphasizes that event organizers, stadium staff, security services and competent public authorities may enforce the rules and decide on items that may not be brought into the stadium.
According to FIFA's Code, materials including banners, flags, leaflets, clothing and other items of a political, offensive or discriminatory nature are prohibited. The document also permits flags, banners and posters only if they do not exceed the prescribed size, if they are made of non-flammable material and if they are not prohibited by other provisions of the stadium rules. In practice, this means that security services may remove or confiscate flags if they assess that they are being used as a political message, while FIFA retains broad discretion in interpreting the rules on match day.
It is precisely this discretion that is at the center of the dispute. Critics of the decision argue that the symbol of the lion and sun cannot simply be reduced to a party or propaganda sign, because some Iranians consider it a historical national symbol. On the other hand, FIFA traditionally seeks to limit political messages in stadiums in order to reduce security risks and prevent clashes among fans. In Iran's case, the line between national identity, political protest and security issues is particularly unclear because the national team's sporting appearances have for years been linked to tensions over attitudes toward the authorities in Tehran.
Why the lion and sun flag is politically sensitive
The lion and sun flag was associated with Iranian state symbolism before 1979, and after the revolution it was replaced by the current flag of the Islamic Republic. The current Iranian flag retained the green, white and red colors, but in the center it has a sign introduced after the revolution, while repeated religious inscriptions were added along the edges. For the authorities in Tehran, the pre-revolutionary symbol is often associated with the defeated monarchist system and political emigration.
For many opponents of the Islamic Republic, especially in the diaspora, the same symbol has a completely different meaning. Iran International and RFE/RL state that the lion and sun flag often appears at protests against the Iranian authorities and at gatherings in support of movements for political freedoms. After the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 and the mass protests that followed in Iran and outside it, symbols of the Iranian state became an even more visible political issue. The football national team, as one of the country's most recognizable international representatives, was during that period under particular pressure from fans, authorities and the foreign public.
The dispute over the flag is not new. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, some fans reported that items with the lion and sun were confiscated from them or that they were not allowed to enter with such markings. The Guardian also reported at the time on a separate controversy after the US Soccer Federation published a graphic of the Iranian flag on social media without the official symbol of the Islamic Republic, which the Iranian football federation presented as a violation of the country's dignity. That case showed how quickly questions of state symbols can turn into a diplomatic and sporting problem.
The American context increases the legal risk
The announced ban is particularly sensitive because the 2026 World Cup is being jointly hosted for the first time by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and a significant number of matches will be played on American territory. According to FIFA's official data, the tournament begins on June 11, 2026, ends with the final on July 19, and the competition is being held in 16 host cities. FIFA states that the tournament will have 48 national teams and 104 matches, making it the largest edition of the World Cup in history.
The American part of the tournament is especially important for Iran because the national team has been assigned matches in the US, and the Associated Press reported that FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed in May that Iran would participate in the World Cup and play matches in the United States. AP later also reported that Iran's base camp had been moved from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico, after the Iranian football federation cited security and visa reasons. This broader context shows that the flag issue is emerging in an atmosphere of already existing tensions over visas, security and relations between Iran and the US.
The threat of a lawsuit in the US therefore opens the question of how far a private organizer of an international sporting event can go when its rules affect political expression in the host country. According to available information, activists challenging the ban argue that displaying the flag represents a form of expression, not a security threat. FIFA, however, may argue that stadiums during matches are regulated spaces with special security rules and that organizers have an obligation to prevent political provocations that could cause clashes. The outcome of any possible proceedings will depend on how a US court would assess the relationship between event rules, ticket contractual terms, security assessments and constitutional protection of speech.
Iran demands respect for official symbols
The Iranian football federation and state media have in recent months emphasized that the official flag and anthem of the Islamic Republic should be respected at matches. Iran International reported in early May that the Iranian authorities are demanding that only the official Iranian flag be allowed during the World Cup. According to the same source, this demand comes at a time when the pre-revolutionary flag is increasingly present among part of the Iranian diaspora and opponents of the authorities, especially at international sporting and political gatherings.
For FIFA, this demand is sensitive because the organization publicly presents itself as politically neutral, but at the same time cooperates with national federations that represent recognized football members. In official competitions, FIFA uses the flags and anthems submitted by national federations, so the official flag of the Islamic Republic is the only flag under which the Iranian national team competes. However, the fan space is not the same as the official protocol of the national team. That is precisely why banning items carried by spectators has a broader meaning than the usual rules on accreditation, national-team equipment or pre-match ceremonies.
The dispute could become even more visible if attempts are made to bring the flags into Iranian national-team matches in American cities. RFE/RL states that some Iranian opposition groups are already saying that the lion and sun symbol will appear despite the announced restrictions. Such a development could put FIFA and local organizers before a practical problem: strict enforcement of the ban could provoke public clashes and negative reactions, while selective or mild enforcement could lead to objections from the Iranian federation and other actors who see that symbol as a political provocation.
Sport, security and freedom of expression
Major international sporting competitions often try to separate sport from political conflicts, but stadiums are at the same time places where national identity is expressed most visibly. Flags, songs, banners and fan clothing are part of the usual atmosphere of the World Cup. When these symbols are connected to state order, protests or wars, sporting rules cease to be merely a technical issue and become a subject of political interpretation.
FIFA's approach in this case shows the tension between the desire for a controlled, safe event and the expectation of fans that they can express identity in stadiums. The Code of Conduct gives organizers broad powers, but it does not resolve in advance every individual situation. In the American context, any ban on a symbol that part of the public considers political speech can trigger additional legal and public debates. This applies especially to the Iranian diaspora, some of whom believe that banning the pre-revolutionary flag would mean accepting the demands of the authorities in Tehran.
According to currently available information, FIFA has not published a detailed explanation specifically dedicated to the lion and sun flag, and the key basis remains the general stadium rulebook. Because of this, it remains unclear whether the rules will be applied equally in all stadiums and whether local organizers will issue additional instructions to fans in advance. As the Iranian national team's matches approach, the dispute over the flag could become one of the most visible tests of FIFA's policy toward political symbols at the 2026 World Cup.
Sources:
- FIFA – official Stadium Code of Conduct for the 2026 World Cup, including rules on flags, political materials and the powers of organizers (link)
- FIFA – official information on dates, host cities, schedule and format of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Iran International – report on the planned ban on Iran's pre-revolutionary flag and reactions from the Iranian diaspora (link)
- Iran International – report on demands by Iranian authorities that the official flag and anthem of the Islamic Republic be respected at the World Cup (link)
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – report on the controversy over the lion and sun flag and a possible ban at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Associated Press – report on FIFA's confirmation that Iran will participate in the 2026 World Cup and play matches in the US (link)
- Associated Press – report on the relocation of Iran's base camp from Arizona to Tijuana ahead of the World Cup (link)
- The Guardian – report on the 2022 dispute after the US Soccer Federation published the Iranian flag without the official symbol of the Islamic Republic (link)