Iran's national anthem booed for second time at World Cup as protests surround Belgium clash

Iran’s national anthem was loudly booed for the second consecutive match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, as the team took on Belgium in Group G of the 2026 World Cup — a fixture played against a backdrop of protests, diplomatic upheaval, and ongoing controversy surrounding the squad’s presence in the United States.

The hostile reception mirrored the atmosphere before Iran’s opening game against New Zealand, which ended in a gripping 2-2 draw. A FIFA announcer asked fans to “applaud for peace” before the anthem, but the appeal drew only a muted response.

Between 300 and 500 protesters gathered outside the stadium ahead of kick-off, waving anti-Iranian government signs and flags. Many said they had deliberately chosen not to attend the match, arguing that doing so would imply support for the government in Tehran. The demonstrations focused on the regime’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, in which thousands were reported killed following nationwide protests in January.

The match came just hours after President Donald Trump announced a preliminary US-Iran peace deal, with Iran’s squad flying into Los Angeles from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, as the agreement was made public. The conflict itself began in February, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Los Angeles has the largest Iranian diaspora community outside Iran itself, with many families having fled the country following the Islamic Revolution in 1979 — a demographic that has lent particular intensity to the political atmosphere surrounding the team’s games.

Iran’s participation in the tournament has been marked by logistical and political friction throughout. Their federation complained that not all staff members received US visas and that tickets allocated to Iranian supporters were withdrawn. A US administration official said the measures were taken to prevent the system being “abused to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences.”

The team also relocated their training base from Arizona to Mexico in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

A separate legal dispute over flags was resolved on Monday morning, when Judge Curtis Kin upheld FIFA’s ban on the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag — a banner bearing a lion-and-sun motif associated with the country’s former Shah-led regime. Though it shares the same colours as the current official flag, FIFA prohibits items of a “political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature.” The judge acknowledged the importance of free speech but ruled the ban should stand.