Iran's national anthem was met with boos from sections of the crowd at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles during their World Cup 2026 match, as deep political divisions among the Iranian community came to the fore.
Anthem Booed Amid Political Tensions
The national anthem was greeted with jeers from certain sections of the crowd, as the team's exceptionally tumultuous build-up to this World Cup finally drew to a close. Iran had not even been anticipated to participate in these finals when co-hosts the United States, alongside Israel, initiated a bombing campaign back in February.
While a peace agreement may have ultimately been brokered on Sunday, the run-up to the match only highlighted the complexities and deeply divided views surrounding the team's participation in the tournament.
Mixed Reactions at the Stadium
The anthem was met with noticeable booing within the stadium, yet just moments earlier, loud cheers had echoed around when footage of the squad in the tunnel was shown on the giant screens overhead, with the team also receiving vocal backing once the game commenced.
Los Angeles' Iranian community is predominantly composed of those who escaped the country around the time of the 1979 Islamic revolution, or their descendants, meaning anti-regime sentiment is particularly strong in the city.
Flag Controversy
FIFA successfully won a legal case earlier on Monday to ban flags featuring the pre-revolution 'Lion and Sun' emblem from the stadium, though a significant number were still visible inside the ground in the moments before kick-off.
An attendee waved a pre-revolutionary Iranian flag during the national anthem, highlighting the ongoing tensions.
Voices from the Crowd
Demonstrators had pledged to create 'hell' ahead of the match, and while a series of fierce anti-regime chants reverberated around SoFi Stadium - denouncing the rulers in Tehran as 'terrorists' - many of those present were nevertheless keen to establish a clear distinction between the football team and the government it represents.
Keyan Jafari, who donned a cape and headband displaying the 'Lion and Sun', said 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.'
'It's unprecedented, we haven't seen anything as brutal as that in a long time. We thought for a long time, should we even be here today? This is the Islamic (regime) team still, but we don't know what they put those players through.'
'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 departed Iran for Bedford as a teenager in 1977 before later moving to the US, said: 'Unfortunately there is some division among Iranians who feel this team is representing the government or supporting the government.'
'I don't believe that. I believe that this is just soccer, and I like to leave politics out of it.'
