Iran threatens to leave the pitch ahead of the World Cup over political protests in stadiums
Ahead of the start of the 2026 World Cup, Iran has further sharpened the already tense political atmosphere surrounding the appearance of its national football team in the United States. Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced the possibility that the national team could leave the pitch if political slogans against the Islamic leadership in Tehran are heard during matches. According to his statement published by Germany's Bild, the Iranian side has already informed FIFA that those responsible within the team would interrupt the match as soon as they heard political chants in the stadium. According to that report, the same threat also applies to attempts to bring in or display the old Iranian flag with the lion and sun, which part of the Iranian opposition and diaspora uses as a symbol of opposition to the Islamic Republic. FIFA has so far not publicly confirmed that it has accepted such an Iranian interpretation, nor has it announced a special decision that would apply only to Iran's matches.
Los Angeles at the center of a security and political challenge
The case is particularly sensitive because Iran is playing two group matches in the wider Los Angeles area, where one of the most visible Iranian communities outside Iran lives. According to the schedule cited by the Associated Press, Iran is due to play New Zealand in Inglewood, California, on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, while the third group match against Egypt is scheduled for June 26 in Seattle. On FIFA's official website, Iran is listed in Group G, together with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, and the matches are listed for Los Angeles Stadium and Seattle Stadium. It is precisely this combination of the sporting schedule, a large diaspora and highly politically sensitive symbolism that creates additional pressure on the organizers, local security services and FIFA. According to a Pew Research Center analysis based on U.S. census data, around 750,000 people of Iranian origin lived in the United States in 2024, while the Migration Policy Institute states that more than one third of Iranian immigrants in the U.S. live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
For the organizers, this means that Iran's matches are not only sporting events, but also potential places of visible political expression. Los Angeles is often associated in reports and public discourse with the nickname “Tehrangeles”, precisely because of the long-standing presence of the Iranian community, its cultural institutions, media and political groups. In such an environment, attempts by some fans to display messages connected with the opposition, human rights or opposition to the Tehran authorities are expected. Iran's threat to leave the pitch therefore raises the question of the boundary between stadium order, political expression and the right of a national team to compete in conditions it considers acceptable. At the same time, for FIFA this is a test of the consistency of its own rules on neutrality and the ban on political messages at sporting venues.
Why the old flag has become a disputed issue
The flag with the lion and sun was part of Iranian state symbolism before the 1979 revolution, after which the Islamic Republic introduced today's official flag with a new state emblem and religious inscriptions. According to a report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the lion and sun motif has a long history in Persian heraldry and, after the revolution, became for many Iranians in exile a sign of identity that differs from the official symbols of today's Iranian regime. For part of the opposition, especially in the diaspora, that flag signifies resistance to the Islamic Republic and the desire to present Iran outside the framework of the current authorities. For the Iranian authorities, however, it is not a neutral historical symbol but a political message directed against the state and its official representation at an international competition. That is why the same flag has for years appeared as one of the most sensitive issues whenever the Iranian national team plays at major tournaments.
The debate is not new and does not begin with the 2026 tournament. During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, political tensions around Iran were already visible in the stands, following the death of Mahsa Amini and the protests that swept Iran. The Associated Press reported at the time that security services at the Iran-Wales match stopped some fans with pre-revolutionary Persian flags and confiscated T-shirts, flags and other items connected with the protest movement. Al Jazeera reported that Iranian players did not sing the national anthem in their first match against England, which was interpreted as a gesture of solidarity with protesters in Iran. That context explains why symbols, fan slogans and the behavior of the national team ahead of this World Cup have once again acquired political weight far beyond football itself.
What FIFA's stadium rules say
FIFA's Stadium Code of Conduct for the 2026 World Cup prohibits bringing in and displaying material of a political, offensive or discriminatory nature, including flags, banners, leaflets, clothing and other items. The same document states that shouts or chants of a political, offensive or discriminatory nature are also prohibited, as are materials aimed at discrimination against a country, person or group on the basis of a range of protected characteristics and opinions. The code also restricts the size of flags and banners and provides for inspection of such items at the stadium entrance. According to the rules published on FIFA's fan safety pages, the organizers retain the right to assess whether a particular item represents a security risk or a breach of the rules. In this way, FIFA is formally trying to separate permitted fan support for national teams from political messages that could provoke clashes in the stands.
In practice, the Iranian case is precisely one of the most difficult for the enforcement of such a rule. The official flag of the Islamic Republic represents a FIFA member state and is used by the national team, while the old flag is, for its supporters, a national, historical and identity symbol, and for the Iranian authorities and FIFA's interpreters of stadium neutrality, a political sign. According to reports by The Athletic cited by RFE/RL and Iran International, FIFA responded to questions about that flag by referring to general rules that prohibit political and discriminatory materials. Such a response leaves room for strict enforcement of the ban, but also for disputes at entrances, in the stands and before courts if fans or organizations decide to legally oppose the ban. In the United States, an additional layer of complexity is created by a strong legal culture of freedom of expression, although stadiums during the World Cup operate under tournament rules and ticket conditions.
Iran's appearance already burdened by visas and a change of base
The political tension around the stands builds on already existing disputes over Iran's participation in the tournament. The Associated Press reported that the Iranian national team traveled on June 6 from Antalya to a base in Tijuana, Mexico, while some officials and members of the wider delegation still did not have U.S. visas. According to the same report, the Iranian Football Federation accused the U.S. of “vindictive behavior” after, according to the federation's claims, key administrative and organizational members of the delegation did not receive visas. U.S. officials quoted by the Associated Press stated that visas had been approved for all players and for part of the coaching staff, technical staff and support personnel, while some applications, according to their claims, were rejected because of incorrect travel purposes. The Iranian federation announced that it would turn to FIFA over the matter, claiming that it was political interference in sport.
Because of such circumstances, according to the Associated Press report, Iran replaced its earlier preparation plan in Tucson, Arizona, with a base in Tijuana, on the Mexican side of the border with California. This has made the logistical conditions for the team more complex because the matches are played in the U.S., while accommodation and part of the preparations take place in Mexico. Bild, citing the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, reported that the team could enter the U.S. only on match days, but such an arrangement has not been independently confirmed in all official announcements. Even without that detail, it is clear that Iran's appearance is burdened by diplomatic, security and organizational issues that have long gone beyond ordinary sporting preparations. In that context, the announcement of a possible departure from the pitch further increases the risk of an incident at the moment when the tournament is only just beginning.
What leaving the pitch would mean
If the national team were actually to leave the pitch during a match because of political slogans or disputed symbols in the stands, the case would immediately turn into a question of the regularity of the match. FIFA has not announced a special procedure for the scenario described by the Iranian minister, and decisions on interrupting, continuing or abandoning a match generally involve referees, organizers, security services and competition bodies. Such a move would also open disciplinary questions, because it would have to be determined whether the team refused to continue playing, whether the interruption was caused by a security risk or whether it was a reaction to the behavior of the crowd. In sporting terms, the consequences could be extremely serious because in a group with four national teams, every result, goal difference and disciplinary record can affect progression to the knockout stage. In political terms, leaving the pitch would probably trigger a global debate on whether a major football tournament can remain outside the conflicts that shape relations between states and their diasporas.
For FIFA, the challenge is twofold. On the one hand, it must enforce its own rules on security and the ban on political messages, and on the other, it must avoid the impression that bans are applied selectively or in favor of one political interpretation of national symbols. For local organizers in Los Angeles and Seattle, the priority will be to prevent physical clashes, keep entrances flowing and respond to banners, clothing or slogans that security staff assess as problematic. For the Iranian national team, the question is how to reconcile pressure from the authorities in Tehran, the atmosphere in the stadium and the obligation to compete in a group in which every match carries direct sporting importance. For fans from the diaspora, especially those opposed to the Islamic Republic, the matches could be one of the most visible global stages for messages that otherwise struggle to reach the international public.
The tournament begins under an intensified political spotlight
The 2026 World Cup is being played from June 11 to July 19 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with 48 national teams taking part for the first time. The expansion of the tournament and the schedule across three countries are already organizationally demanding, but the Iranian case shows how much individual matches can be burdened by issues that have no direct connection with the game. According to the official schedule, Iran is part of Group G, and a possible sporting outcome could also bring it into a later-stage meeting with the United States, if both national teams finish second in their groups, which the Associated Press cited as a scenario. Such a possibility further increases public interest in every detail of Iran's appearance, from security protocols to fan behavior. But even before the first match, it is clear that Iran's appearance will be one of the most politically watched parts of the tournament, especially in Los Angeles, where the sporting stage overlaps with long-running debates about identity, symbols and the relationship with the authorities in Tehran.
Sources:
- Bild – report on the statement by Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali, the threat to leave the pitch, the dispute over the old flag and Iran's match schedule (link)
- FIFA – official fixture schedule for the Iran national team at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – Stadium Code of Conduct for the 2026 World Cup, including rules on political, offensive and discriminatory materials and chanting (link)
- Associated Press – report on the Iranian national team's departure to a base in Mexico, visa problems, statements by the Iranian federation and the match schedule in California and Seattle (link)
- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – context of the dispute over the Iranian flag with the lion and sun and its meaning for part of the Iranian diaspora and opposition (link)
- Iran International – additional context on the dispute over the flag with the lion and sun, FIFA's reference to stadium rules and reactions from part of the Iranian diaspora (link)
- Associated Press / WLRN – 2022 report on clashes between pro-government Iranian fans and protesters and the stopping of fans with pre-revolutionary flags in Qatar (link)
- Al Jazeera – report on Iranian players not singing the anthem at the 2022 World Cup in the context of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini (link)
- Pew Research Center – data on Iranians and people of Iranian origin in the United States according to an analysis of the 2024 American Community Survey (link)
- Migration Policy Institute – data on the geographic concentration of Iranian immigrants in the U.S., including California and the Los Angeles metropolitan area (link)