World Cup: Iranians in Los Angeles divided on whether to cheer or jeer Iran
Key takeaways
- US host city braces for protests near stadium as Iran prepares to start its World Cup campaign against New Zealand.
- Several protests have already taken place against the participation of Iran – known as Team Melli – in the tournament.
- “The community is divided,” Farahanipour told Al Jazeera.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
US host city braces for protests near stadium as Iran prepares to start its World Cup campaign against New Zealand.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Iranian American Sam Beykzadeh, who runs a bookstore in Los Angeles, sits under Iran's pre-Islamic-revolution flag at his shop, June 13, 2026 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]By Ali Harb Published On 15 Jun 202615 Jun 2026Los Angeles – From saffron-flavoured ice cream parlours to kabob shops and Farsi-language bookstores, it does not take long to see signs of the Iranian community in Los Angeles’s Westwood neighbourhood.
And with Iran’s pre-1979-revolution lion-and-sun flag on display across the area, alongside the occasional portrait of opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the community’s stance against the Iranian government also becomes apparent.