Iran and New Zealand open with chaos, then 2-2

Iran vs – A charged World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium turned from street-level confrontation to deafening football noise, ending with Iran and New Zealand locked 2-2 after Elijah Just’s two goals were cancelled out by Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi. Outside, protest

Shortly after 4pm in Los Angeles, Iran’s team bus rolled up South Prairie Avenue with police motorcycles clearing the way. It climbed the hill past a small group of supporters before a right turn toward the gates of “hell.”

That line had been repeated in warnings aimed at Amir Ghalenoei and his Iran players at SoFi Stadium. a $5.5 billion venue on the outskirts of LA picked for a fraught. highly-charged World Cup opener against New Zealand. Never before had a World Cup host nation been at war with one of its visitors. and on the ground the biggest threat to Iran’s players looked like it would come from Iranian exiles and compatriots living nearby.

“We are going to make it hell,” one Iranian-American opponent of the team and the regime it represents promised.

But when Iran emerged from the tunnel, the atmosphere inside SoFi told a different story. The Iranian players were greeted by deafening cheers from the majority of fans. There were Mexican waves, and little hostility followed them across the pitch. The one New Zealand moment that truly destabilized the game came from Elijah Just.

Just. the New Zealand winger. scored twice as the All Whites upset the odds to secure a 2-2 draw against Iran. When the chaos around politics and protest finally gave way to match action. New Zealand—described as the lowest-ranked team in the World Cup—took the lead twice before Iran answered each time.

Ramin Rezaeian levelled in the first half, and Mohammad Mohebbi equalized in the second half. Each of those goals sparked wild celebrations among many of the 70,000 fans in the stadium.

Among the diaspora around the city. the reaction was mixed. but outside. the political battle had been more visible than the football one. Protestors gathered outside SoFi Stadium ahead of Iran’s World Cup clash with New Zealand. and up to 35. 000 were predicted to arrive. They were expected to be bussed in from “Tehrangeles” and across California. carrying flags from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and a songbook of anti-government chants.

Their stated aims were blunt: protest Tehran’s deadly crackdown on dissent earlier this year, when thousands were killed. They promised to boo the national anthem and turn their backs, and they hoped Iran would lose.

Many did gather outside SoFi and make opposition clear. Many also defied FIFA by sneaking ‘Lion and Sun’ emblems inside. The Iranian government had warned that would be enough for matches to be halted, but that never happened.

Ahead of kickoff. SoFi Stadium was close to Iran’s base—about a 15-minute drive from the team’s hotel in Manhattan Beach. Yet the team’s path to the 2026 World Cup began long before it reached Los Angeles. The short flight from Tijuana on Sunday was only the last leg of a months-long journey shaped by tension and mayhem.

Since war broke out with Israel and the United States in February. uncertainty had hung over everything: where games would be held. and whether the team would even arrive. Donald Trump warned Iran not to—for their “own life and safety”—and the lead-up to the opening game was marred by threats and mudslinging.

Iran moved its base from Arizona to Mexico. Nearly a dozen members of its delegation were denied visas. Iran officials sent FIFA a list of conditions before agreeing to play.

Even after a peace deal was announced on Sunday, the uncertainty did not clear. Right up until hours before kickoff, FIFA beat a lawsuit that attempted to overturn its ban on pre-revolutionary flags.

By the time fans streamed into SoFi, the legal fight felt almost irrelevant. Pre-Revolutionary flags were everywhere inside. Stadium staff’s attitude was summed up at the turnstiles when one couple were stopped by security. They were told they could not bring flag sticks inside. The female fan removed the flags from their handles—and no one cared that they still carried a lion and sun. The fans were waved in, flags in hand.

Signs around SoFi Stadium advised fans to arrive early for the Group G clash, and tens of thousands obliged. What stood out was the range of jerseys worn through the crowd: Arsenal, England, Mexico, Jamaica, Colombia, China, Brazil—and Brighton.

In the stands. the game looked to be drawing neutrals as well as partisans hoping to watch some World Cup soccer. but the day had already shown how close it was to boiling point. There were pockets of demonstrations—outside one corner of the ground. some fans sold merchandise featuring pre-revolutionary symbols. while nearby others chanted about a “team of terrorists” and waved flags in support of the US. Israel and Trump.

Inside the stadium, Amir Ghalenoei’s players carried the anthem moment like a fault line. All but one of Iran’s players had sung their national anthem. The exception was ex-Brentford star Saman Ghoddos, who put his hand over his heart instead.

Outside, protest messages carried direct references to Iranian leadership and military power. One protestor held up a sign with pictures of Ghalenoei’s players. their faces crossed out with red tape and the caption made to look as if it was dripping in blood. It read “IRGC TEAM,” referencing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Those who came to cheer for the Iranian team were branded “terrorist sympathisers” and supporters of the regime that “murdered Iranians.” Still, tens of thousands of Iranians ignored the chants and made noise of their own inside SoFi.

Every attack during the match triggered deafening cheers, and both of Iran’s equalizers nearly took the roof off the stadium.

On the eve of the match, Ghalenoei had said he hoped all the disruption would not impact his players’ performance. Whether it did, no one could prove. What is clear is what Iran now faces next: it will need to be better than it was in Los Angeles to beat Belgium and Egypt in its final two group games.

There was also disappointment beyond the scoreboard. It was described as a shame that one of the country’s top goalscorers is not in this World Cup squad. Sardar Azmoun was reportedly expelled from the national team after posting a picture on social media of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum—another reminder that politics can follow sport even when the whistle has barely blown.

Iran New Zealand World Cup opener SoFi Stadium Amir Ghalenoei Elijah Just Ramin Rezaeian Mohammad Mohebbi Saman Ghoddos protests Lion and Sun flags Group G Belgium Egypt Azmoun Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Tehrangeles