Iran becomes first team in World Cup history to play in a country it is at war with

Iran will pose a major challenge to FIFA's slogan 'football unites the world' on Monday, becoming the first nation in World Cup history to play in a host country with which it is at war. The team's opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles takes place as the conflict between Iran and the United States continues and escalates, with a fragile ceasefire failing to hold and peace negotiations stalled.

Analysts say the context of war makes FIFA President Gianni Infantino's message of unity meaningless. Professor Jules Boykoff, a political scientist at Pacific University in Oregon and a former professional footballer, said: 'Despite FIFA's dream that this World Cup could be apolitical, the reality is that this is the most political World Cup ever, and the Iran-US-Israel war is at its center. Never before has a host nation openly threatened to commit war crimes against a competing nation, and that competing nation is bombing other competing nations.'

Iranian players will take the field at SoFi Stadium after months of speculation over whether they would be allowed to participate, following President Donald Trump's suggestion that it might be safer for them not to come. Doubts were only dispelled this week when team members received US visas, though some officials, including the head of Iran's football federation, Mehdi Taj, were denied entry due to his past affiliation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The uncertainty has disrupted preparations and created logistical complications. The team's training camp was moved from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. The squad will fly to Los Angeles on matchday and return to Mexico immediately afterward to avoid staying overnight in the US. The same schedule will be repeated for matches against Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The Egypt match has sparked controversy as local authorities scheduled it on the same weekend as the LGBTQ+ Pride festival, drawing protests from both Iran and Egypt, where homosexuality is criminalized.

The situation is further complicated by an ideological tug-of-war between Iran's Islamic regime and its opponents over whom the team represents. Under normal circumstances, the players could expect a warm welcome in Los Angeles, home to a large Iranian diaspora often called 'Tehrangeles.' However, intense opposition to the theocratic rule within the diaspora community may undermine support.

An official World Cup video posted on social media depicted the players as representatives of Shia Islamic ideology, with a soundtrack praising Imam Ali and Imam Hussein. Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, condemned the video: 'The World Cup is an opportunity for Tehran to speak to Iranians as a nation. Instead, they chose to speak to them as an Islamic ideology. That's a huge own goal.' Reza Pahlavi, son of the last deposed shah, also criticized the effort. In a social media video, he said: 'Today, many Iranians no longer see the national team as one that represents the people.'

FIFA, after lobbying from the Iranian football federation, has banned the display of pre-1979 Islamic Revolution national flags bearing the lion and sun emblem, a symbol of the monarchy. Pahlavi condemned the ban, and some protesters vowed to violate it by concealing the old flag under the official one. Iranian officials have said the team will stop playing if banned flags are displayed or anti-regime slogans are chanted during matches.

Mahmood Ebrahimzadeh, a former Iranian player now living in Maryland, predicted many Iranians in the US would not support the team: 'I think the majority do not want to support the national team. As a football player, it's unfair. Everyone expects those players to speak for the people against the government, but they are not educated enough to talk about human rights. The country is in a very difficult situation with the war against the US and Israel, so it's hard to use football to speak out now.'