Iran World Cup Opener in Los Angeles Marked by Tight Security and Rising Tensions

Just after 4pm in Los Angeles, the Iran team bus rolled up South Prairie Avenue under police escort, a line of motorcycles clearing the way. It climbed the hill past a modest cluster of supporters before turning toward the gates of SoFi Stadium — a venue some had ominously warned would become “hell” for Amir Ghalenoei’s side.

SoFi, the $5.5 billion showpiece on the edge of LA, had been selected for a politically charged World Cup opener between Iran and New Zealand. The tension surrounding the occasion was impossible to ignore. Never before had a World Cup host nation been at war with one of the teams it was welcoming, and in the buildup there were fears that Iran’s players could face a hostile reception from exiles and fellow Iranians living in Southern California.

Some opponents of the team, and of the regime they believe it represents, had vowed to create an unbearable atmosphere. One Iranian-American critic put it bluntly beforehand: “We are going to make it hell.” Given the charged backdrop, FIFA and local authorities had every reason to brace for unrest.

But the scene inside the stadium told a different story. When Iran’s players stepped out of the tunnel, they were met not by sustained abuse but by a thunderous wave of support from much of the crowd. Mexican waves swept around the stands, and whatever fears had built up before kickoff quickly gave way to the game itself.

If anyone truly unsettled Iran on the night, it was New Zealand winger Elijah Just. He struck twice as the All Whites, the lowest-ranked side at this expanded World Cup, repeatedly defied expectations. New Zealand went in front on two occasions, only for Iran to respond each time through Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi, forcing a 2-2 draw.

Each Iranian equalizer triggered explosive celebrations among many of the 70,000 spectators packed into SoFi. Yet beyond the stadium, among parts of the Iranian diaspora in Los Angeles, the emotions were far more complicated. For some, the result carried political weight as much as sporting significance.

Up to 35,000 protestors were predicted to turn up, bussed in from ‘Tehrangeles’ and across California, armed with flags from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and a songbook of anti-government chants.

They vowed to protest Tehran’s deadly crackdown on dissent earlier this year, when thousands were killed. They promised to boo the national anthem and turn their backs. They hoped Iran would lose.

Well, many did gather outside SoFi and make their opposition clear. Many did defy FIFA, too, by sneaking ‘Lion and Sun’ emblems inside. The Iranian government had warned that would be enough for games to be halted. That never came to pass, either.

SoFi Stadium is only a 15-minute drive from Iran’s hotel in Manhattan Beach but this team’s path to the 2026 World Cup began long before they touched down in LA. That short flight from Tijuana on Sunday represented only the final leg of a turbulent, months-long journey dominated by tension and mayhem.

Since war broke out with Israel and the United States in February, uncertainty has reigned: Where would their games be held? Would the team even turn up?

Donald Trump warned them not to – for their ‘own life and safety’ – and the buildup to this opening game was marred by threats and mudslinging. Iran moved its base from Arizona to Mexico; nearly a dozen members of its delegation were denied visas; Iran officials sent FIFA a list of conditions before agreeing to play. All while war raged back home.

It hardly got any smoother after the team arrived in LA, which boasts the biggest diaspora of Iranians outside the country. Players faced protest outside their hotel and their open training session, with many in ‘Tehrangeles’ accusing the team of being a propaganda arm of the regime.

Even after a peace deal was announced on Sunday, the uncertainty continued. Right up until a few hours before kickoff, when FIFA beat a lawsuit that attempted overturn its ban on pre-revolutionary flags.

By the time fans began streaming inside SoFi, that court case felt rather futile. There were pre-Revolutionary flags everywhere and the attitude of stadium staff was neatly summed up when one couple passed through the turnstiles before being stopped by security.

They were told they could not bring flag sticks inside. So the female fan simply removed the flags from their handles. No one cared that they carried a lion and sun. The fans were waved into the ground, flags in hand.

Shortly after, all but one of Iran’s players sang their national anthem. The exception – ex-Brentford star Saman Ghoddos – put his hand over his heart. Then a soccer game broke out.

Signs around SoFi Stadium advised fans to arrive early for this Group G clash and tens of thousands obliged. What was curious, however, was how many were dressed. It was a kaleidoscope of jerseys. Among them? Arsenal, England, Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, China, Brazil… and Brighton.

Perhaps they were simply neutrals hoping for a chance to watch some World Cup soccer. But this seemed a curious choice – a game that appeared to be simmering close to boiling point long before kickoff.

There had, after all, been warnings of mass protests. And there were pockets of demonstrations – outside one corner of the ground, some fans sold merchandise featuring pre-revolutionary symbols while, nearby, others chanted about a ‘team of terrorists’ and waved flags in support of the US, Israel and Trump.

Mohammad Mohebbi equalized for Iran in the second half to ensure this game finished 2-2

One protestor held up a sign that carried pictures of Ghalenoei’s players. Their faces were crossed out with red tape and the caption was made to look as if it was dripping in blood. It read: ‘IRGC TEAM,’ a reference to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

As for those who came to cheer on this Iran team? They were branded ‘terrorist sympathisers’ and ‘supporters [of] the regime that murdered Iranians.’

But tens of thousands of Iranians ignored their cries and made a racket inside SoFi Stadium instead. Every attack sparked deafening cheers; both equalizers nearly took the roof of this place.

Ghalenoei said on the eve of this match that he hoped all the disruption would not impact his players’ performance. We will never really know what impact it had. All that became clear here?

Iran will need to be better than this to beat Belgium and Egypt in their final two group games. What a shame, then, that one of the country’s top goalscorers is not in this World Cup squad. 

Sardar Azmoun was reportedly expelled from the national team after posting a picture on social media of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin ​Rashid Al Maktoum. So much for keeping politics out of sports.