Photo: Iranian fans holding up their old national flag of Sun and Lion symbol and marking "X" their official flag (Source: World Cup Instagram account)
During Iran's first match of the 2026 World Cup against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on June 15, 2026, Iran-American fans staged protests.
Iranian fans defy FIFA
Despite FIFA banning the entry of Sun and Lion flag weeks ago before the world cup, some Iranian-American fans sneaked into the stadium with the flag. From the trending photos and videos on social media, the fans protested outside the stadium before the kick-off and later managed to enter with Sun and Lion flag into the stadium. As reports say, the police tried to stop anyone carrying the flag into the stadium but their efforts failed. The stadium was full of the flag during the match kick off.
According to Iranian International citing The Athletic report, FIFA termed the flag a political and discriminatory symbol and it had no place in international football as it is against their code of conduct.
Back in 2022 World Cup in Qatar, FIFA also denied stadium access to anyone who was carrying the flag.
Why the Iranian fans were protesting
For the protesters, the ban hit hard. In an interview with a correspondent, one of the protesters said, "The flag is very important to us, we have kept it for 47 years."
Although the Sun and Lion symbol flag is not the current official flag for Iran, it's a centuries-old flag which was used from 1907 to 1979 and which symbolizes opposition to Iranian Islamic government regime.
Despite the chaos inside the stadium, many fans seemed to support Iran team which finally drew 2-2 against New Zealand.
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Written by: John Muia (Founder and Editor)
John Muia is the founder and Editor in InstandTrend. The Journalist is experienced with skills in creative writing, news coverage and fact-checking in digital and print media.