Iran's anthem booed at SoFi Stadium as FIFA's flag ban defied before New Zealand clash

Iran’s national anthem was greeted with audible boos from parts of the crowd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday, as the team’s politically charged build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup reached its conclusion against New Zealand.

The atmosphere inside the stadium reflected the deep divisions within the Iranian diaspora community in Los Angeles — a city whose Iranian population is largely composed of those who fled the country around the 1979 Islamic Revolution, or their descendants. Anti-regime sentiment ran high before kick-off, with protesters outside the ground having promised “hell” in the days leading up to the match, and chants describing the leadership in Tehran as “terrorists” audible around the stadium.

Yet the mood was far from uniformly hostile toward the players themselves. When images of the Iranian squad appeared in the tunnel on the stadium’s giant screens, they were met with loud cheers, and the team received strong vocal support once the match was underway. Many in attendance drew a clear distinction between the state Iran represents and the players who wear its shirt.

FIFA had won a legal case earlier on Monday to ban flags bearing the pre-revolution ‘Lion and Sun’ emblem from being brought into the stadium. Despite the ruling, the flags were visible in significant numbers inside SoFi Stadium in the lead-up to kick-off — a direct defiance of the governing body’s order.

Keyan Jafari, who wore a cape and headband bearing the emblem, explained his position before the match. “I support the Persian culture, our heritage and our history, and I’m not afraid to say that I don’t stand for the Islamic regime, and what they’ve done to the people in my country,” he said. “I want them to know that I still stand for them as long as they are Iranian and they stand with us.”

Marian Rogers, who left Iran for England as a teenager in 1977 before later moving to the United States, offered a different perspective. “Unfortunately there is some division among Iranians who feel this team is representing the government or supporting the government,” she said. “I don’t believe that. I believe that this is just soccer, and I like to leave politics out of it.”

The match itself arrived against an extraordinary backdrop. Iran’s participation at these finals had been in serious doubt after the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign in February, but a peace deal was reported to have been agreed on Sunday — just hours before kick-off in Los Angeles.