Iran Faces Hostile Crowd, Travel Limits, and Political Tensions at the World Cup

Iran’s first World Cup match was expected to be played in Los Angeles, where FIFA hoped the huge Iranian diaspora would fill SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The city has about 300,000 people of Iranian origin, with another 200,000 in the rest of Southern California. But as Iran plays New Zealand in its Group G opener tonight, the team may instead face boos from the crowd, despite the flag of the Islamic Republic on its shirts.

The biggest obstacle has been preparation. Iran could not train in the United States because the Trump administration would not approve a long stay, even after the Iranian federation booked hotels and practice fields in Tucson, Arizona. The team was forced to move its camp to Tijuana, Mexico, where it is under unusually heavy military security, training times are kept secret, and the squad’s U.S. entry permits are limited to match days only, requiring immediate departure afterward. The synthetic pitch in Tijuana was also rushed to replace the poor field there.

Unlike the hostility expected in California, Tijuana has welcomed the team. A large sign around the training ground says in Persian, “Welcome to Tijuana.” Mexican fans gathered outside the team hotel and told reporters that U.S. treatment of Iranians is wrong and that Americans “treat everyone like terrorists.”

The political atmosphere is also very different from four years ago in Qatar, when Iran’s matches came amid the protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death and the chant “Woman, Life, Freedom” echoed in the stands. This time, members of the Revolutionary Guards will not be in the crowd, and many Iranian-origin fans in the U.S. are children of families who left after the 1979 revolution and do not support the national team. Opposition leader Reza Pahlavi said football had become “a weapon of the regime” and called the team inseparable from a government that “slaughtered thousands” during this year’s crackdown. Fans will also be barred by FIFA from displaying the original Iranian flag with the lion and sun, a common protest symbol in Los Angeles.

Iran has never advanced past the World Cup group stage, and it arrives without star striker Sardar Azmoun, who was dropped after posting a photo with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum while Iran fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates. Azmoun had previously backed women protesters on social media during the 2022 hijab demonstrations, writing that being dropped from the team would be worth the sacrifice “even for one hair from Iranian women’s heads.” Only the players, coaches, and medical staff made it to Los Angeles on Monday, while 15 others, including the entire communications department, were denied entry.