Iran's World Cup Journey: Politics and Pressure in Los Angeles

On most World Cup arrivals, the baggage is tactical, physical, maybe psychological. Iran have landed in the United States carrying something far heavier.

Until this week, the host nation had been at war with them.

That fact hangs over everything. Training sessions, hotel choices, even the route to the stadium. When Iran walk out at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Monday to face New Zealand in their opening game, they will do so under the glare of geopolitics and the gaze of one of the largest Iranian communities outside their own borders.

An agreement to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, announced on Sunday, has eased fears of immediate escalation. It has not eased the tension.

“This kind of tension undermines the joy of the World Cup,” said striker Mehdi Taremi. “I felt the tension from the first moment we arrived. The tension started even before we got here.”

He is not exaggerating. For months, Iran’s participation has been shadowed by uncertainty over whether they would even be allowed into the country. Their original base in Tucson, Arizona, fell apart under the weight of visa problems, security concerns and an increasingly charged political climate. The team packed up and shifted to Tijuana, across the Mexican border, a World Cup camp in exile.

It was a logistical decision with a clear football cost.

Head coach Amir Ghalenoei did not try to sugar-coat it when he spoke to the BBC.

“Without any doubt, this kind of behaviour has impacted the spirit of football,” he said. “Football is supposed to bring nations and cultures together. It is about bringing joy. These conditions have affected our focus, but I have tried to make sure the players concentrate on strategy and performance.”

They arrived late. They have had little time to settle, to feel the pitches, to breathe the tournament air.

“But I know how committed these players are to performing,” Ghalenoei added.

If there is a place where Iran cannot escape politics, it is Los Angeles. The city’s nickname, “Tehrangeles”, raised a smile from both coach and striker at the pre-match news conference, but the joke carries an edge. This is the heartland of the Iranian diaspora, a community shaped by exile and revolution, and its presence will be felt far beyond the stands.

SoFi Stadium will be packed with Iranian-Americans on Monday. Many will not be there to wave flags and sing anthems in the conventional sense. They will come to protest.

Their anger has a focal point: Fifa’s decision to ban the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag, a symbol that carries deep emotional weight for many Iranians abroad.

“You don’t come to Los Angeles and tell us we can’t fly the Lion and Sun flag,” said activist Arezo Rashidian, who is helping to organise demonstrations outside the stadium. “This is the largest Iranian community outside Iran. Many of us came here after the revolution. We’re opposing Fifa’s ban and standing in solidarity with the people of Iran.”

For large sections of this diaspora, the national team do not simply represent a country. They are seen, fairly or not, as an extension of the Islamic Republic.

“It’s unfortunate that the regime turns athletes into mouthpieces,” Rashidian said. “We want athletes to remain athletes.”

Yet even among the loudest critics, there is a complicated, emotional line. Rashidian will still go to the match. So will many others.

“We understand the pressure they’re under,” she said. “We’ll carry our colours. We’ll cheer for Iran – the country – held captive by the Islamic Republic.”

That distinction – between state and nation, between regime and team – will play out in the stands as much as on the pitch. Outside, chants and banners. Inside, players trying to pretend this is just another game.

They insist their focus remains on football.

“As players of the national team, we play for every single Iranian, whether in the diaspora or in Iran,” Taremi said. “In every country people have different opinions. We are here to unite people and bring joy. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We don’t get involved in politics.”

It is a noble line, almost a plea. But for this squad, politics stalks every step. From the war that framed their arrival, to the flags that cannot be flown, to the protests that will greet their bus.

“There is no winning for Iran’s team,” said investigative football journalist Samindra Kunti. “Given the circumstances, the political pressure, the location of the matches and the diaspora in Los Angeles, they’re under enormous pressure. It’s impossible to avoid the politics. Everything becomes a reminder of their situation.”

Pressure from home, where every gesture is scrutinised. Pressure from the host nation, where their very presence has been debated. Pressure from a diaspora determined to make itself heard.

All of it, before a ball has even been kicked.