Persians are a huge part of Los Angeles, and they showed up in droves for Iran 's 2026 World Cup opener. The result was an electric environment that was mostly celebratory, yet still tense.
Walking into Los Angeles Stadium prior to the Iran- New Zealand 2026 World Cup group stage match, I was expecting a cagey atmosphere. On my way in, a cop told me that they were expecting anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 protesters across the street near the Inglewood Forum, but because I had already checked into the stadium, I wasn't able to leave and go see for myself. Steps away from the fan experience zone with the gates about to open, I was prepared for the worst.
The tense relations between the United States and Iran has been one of the major headlines surrounding 2026 World Cup, and at one point there was uncertainty of Iran even participating. The U.S. refused to host Iran at a training site, which forced the nation to change its home base plans from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico.
In the days leading up to Iran's World Cup opener, Persians from across Los Angeles protested outside of the team's temporary training facility held at the LA Galaxy complex in Carson, and the protesters broadcast their plans for expanded demonstrations both before and during the actual game.
So while I braced for impact once the gates to the fan experience zone opened, something surprising greeted me. There was no aggressive or antagonistic behavior, but instead the fan zone was quite pleasant, even more enjoyable than it was for the United States-Paraguay match from a few days earlier .
Granted, the police and security presence was noticeably increased from the previous match, but the overall vibes were pretty mellow.
Unlike the first match in Los Angeles, which understandably featured a vast majority of American fans and jerseys, there was a much more diverse array of attendees this time around. It actually felt like a World Cup, with people from all over the world eating, drinking, and socializing. It was still kind of funny to see all of this in contrast to the insanely corporatized activations throughout the fan zone. You try to be romantic about it all, but then your eyes lock onto the biggest Doritos logo you've ever seen.
Iran fans were the most represented, but there were all kinds of kits on display — including those from Mexico, Italy , England , Colombia , and elsewhere. It was the kind of communal vibe that was missing from the pre-match festivities of U.S.-Paraguay, and it was nice to see that even in America, we can put on something that felt truly global.
During the match itself, the reported crowd of 70,108 (just shy of a sellout) was electric throughout the 90-plus minutes of action, with several crowd pops that were surprisingly comparable to the USMNT match. These bursts of noise were heavily in favor of Iran, which wouldn't shock anyone that's from Los Angeles or familiar with the Persian diaspora.
LA and its surrounding metropolitan area is home to the highest population of Persians outside of Iran, as many fled for Hollywoodland during the Iranian Revolution in the '70s.
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, one of LA's Persian hotbeds, and from anecdotal experience, the Persian community is incredibly tight knit.
The pride amongst Persians makes the current fractures amongst them both surprising and understandable at the same time. One one side, you have a group that fled religious repression during the Islamic Revolution that's in opposition to the current regime. On the other, you have those reeling in the wake of the U.S.-backed violence that came with the crudely-named Operation Epic Fury and the Strait of Hormuz crisis. In the middle, you have those that want to escape the turmoil from not just the past four months, but the decades of tension and enjoy a World Cup game.
Sports are one of the great escape routes we can use to turn our minds away from hard times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sports were among the first things to return amidst widespread shutdowns. Bubble tournaments from numerous sport leagues around the world were seen as oases from the ongoing crisis.
But it's hard to separate sports and politics, especially when nationalities get involved. We've seen sports be used both as a uniting factor and political propaganda, and it can be difficult to differentiate between the two. But hear me out: sometimes, turning your brain off for a couple of hours and watching athletes at the pinnacle of their sport chase after a ball can do wonders for your mental health.
If you were able to do so, the Iran-New Zealand match was an influx of pure football bliss.
Both teams traded haymakers throughout the the 2-2 draw, which was one of the best games of the tournament thus far. The raucous crowd matched the energy on the pitch, which made for an incredible atmosphere worthy of the World Cup.
It wasn't all support in the stadium, however. During the national anthem, there were audible boos and whistles coming from the Iranian crowds, and there were plenty of Lion and Sun flags, a symbol of pre-revolution Iran, visible throughout the stadium. FIFA had announced a ban on these flags prior to the tournament because of their political nature, but they were on full display in the crowd nonetheless. Videos of fights between Iranian fans made their way to social media as well.
However, those who booed and whistled, and those who waved the Sun and Lion flags in protest, cheered during triumphant moments, including goals from Ramin Rezaeian in the 32nd minute and Mohamman Mohebi in the 64th, both of which were equalizers. A shot off the post from Mehdi Taremi in the first half got an equally loud roar of angst, while pockets of New Zealand supporters made sure things didn't weigh too heavily in one direction, and made their voices heard after both goals from Elijah Just.
This was one of those games that make an event like the World Cup such a marvel. A country at war with the host nation (although there are reports of a deal to end the war in the works), playing in a city with a thriving population of immigrants and second generation inhabitants who have mixed feelings about their national team, who by the way, can't stay in the country it's playing in, and has to cross the Mexico-U.S. border regularly throughout the tournament — and yet, on top of it all, the game itself was still a banger. You can't make this stuff up.
After the game, several Iran players voiced their displeasure at the team's rigorous travel schedule, calling it unfair and a "disaster."
"It's [very] difficult as you know," Rezaeian said. "But actually I have to thank the people in Mexico. They were so nice. They have a great behavior towards us. But actually it's so difficult that we train in Mexico and play in LA. At the end, we are not happy today because I think we deserved to win the game. But that's football sometimes."
Iran traveled back to Mexico following the match after arriving in LA on Sunday — a quick turnaround. It will have to make a similar trek back before its June 21 match against Belgium , which will also be at Los Angeles Stadium. We'll be on the ground for that game as well, where we'll see if the nation can maintain its level with all the travel, and if the fans will create a similar atmosphere of tension and celebration. Stay tuned.
Photography by Jorge Sanchez for Urban Pitch.
