Crowd Reaction to Iran National Anthem as FIFA World Cup Rule Defied

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All eyes were on the reaction to Iran’s national anthem before their opening 2026 World Cup match against New Zealand on Monday night.

It was unclear whether the Iranian national team would even be at this summer’s tournament following their conflict with the United States, which began at the end of February.

Back in March, two weeks after the conflict began, US President Donald Trump warned that it would not be “appropriate” for Iran to take part in the 2026 World Cup “for their own life and safety”.

Iran responded by suggesting the US themselves should withdraw from the tournament, despite their status as joint hosts alongside Mexico and Canada.

However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino - who has close ties with Trump - insisted that Iran would always be part of this summer’s competition.

White House insiders believe the US President has already made up his mind following the controversial decision by FIFA

Led by manager Amir Ghalenoei, Iran played out a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their opening Group G fixture.

New Zealand twice took the lead, either side of half-time, through Motherwell winger Elijah Just. But the All Whites were pegged back twice as Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi both scored equalising goals.

The atmosphere outside the Los Angeles Stadium was “political charged”, according to the BBC’s North America correspondent Shaimaa Khalil.

“Time and again, Iranian team officials have said they want football to unite people. The mood here was anything but united,” Khalil wrote for BBC Sport. “Outside the Los Angeles Stadium, the atmosphere was politically charged.

“Hundreds of Iranian flags were flying. The most visible were the pre-revolutionary flags bearing the Lion and Sun emblem.

“For many Iranian-Americans, the flag has become a symbol of opposition to the regime in Tehran. FIFA has banned it inside stadiums as a political symbol. But it was flying inside nonetheless and emblazoned on t-shirts.

“A few hundred protesters gathered outside, angry at FIFA’s decision and at what they see as a national team that represents the Islamic Republic rather than the Iranian people.”

Footage recorded from inside the stadium shows Iran’s national anthem was met with a mix of loud boos and cheers. Watch the footage below:

FIFA won a case to ban flags with the pre-revolution ‘Lion and Sun’ emblem on from being brought into the Los Angeles Stadium earlier on Monday. However, plenty of these flags were seen within the venue in the build-up to kick-off.

Despite FIFA deeming the pre-revolution flags as ‘political’ in nature, their World Cup rule was ultimately defied during the New Zealand match, per The Mirror.

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