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Iran’s 2026 World Cup opener was never just about football.
At SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Iran and New Zealand ended the first half level at 1-1 in their Group G match. But the louder story was in the stands and outside the venue, where politics followed the Iranian team onto the global stage.
Hours before kickoff, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge upheld FIFA’s decision to ban the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag from the stadium. The judge ruled that free speech protections do not override the right of private entities to regulate conduct on private property.
The ban did not stop the flag from appearing inside. Images and video from the stadium showed dozens of Iranian fans raising the Shah-era flag, a symbol widely used by parts of the Iranian diaspora to protest the current government in Tehran.
Details
• New Zealand struck first in the seventh minute through Elijah Just, who fired a volley inside the box.
• It was New Zealand’s first World Cup goal since 2010.
• Iran equalized in the 32nd minute through Ramin Rezaeian, who pounced on a loose ball near goal.
• The referee added seven minutes of stoppage time before the halftime whistle.
• Both teams entered the match chasing a first-ever place in the knockout stage.
• Group G also includes Belgium and Egypt, making the path forward difficult for both Iran and New Zealand.
The flag fight
The lion-and-sun flag became the center of the dispute before the match.
The flag predates Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and is used by many Iranians abroad as a political symbol against the Islamic Republic. FIFA barred it under stadium rules that prohibit political, offensive or discriminatory materials.
But according to media reports, some fans entered the stadium wearing white shirts carrying the same symbol. Flags were also visible in the stands, echoing similar scenes from an earlier match in the tournament.
Protests outside SoFi
Outside SoFi Stadium, demonstrators gathered hours before kickoff, waving lion-and-sun flags and chanting against repression in Iran.
The protest was part of a broader mobilization by Iranian-American groups in Southern California. Activists had said before the match that they planned to show the flag inside the stadium through shirts, scarves and jackets despite the ban.
The political atmosphere around Iran’s campaign has also been complicated by U.S. visa denials affecting some members of the country’s football federation.
What to watch
Iran’s next match against Belgium in Los Angeles will test more than the team’s football.
It will also test whether FIFA and U.S. organizers can contain political displays linked to Iran’s presence at the tournament.
For now, the message is clear: the legal ban did not keep the flag out. The World Cup has again become a stage for Iranians fighting over the symbols of power in Tehran.
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