Fifa isn't allowing fans to bring Iran's pre-Islamic Revolution flag to World Cup matches, so critics of Tehran hope to skirt the rules using tech.
Ahead of Iran's opening World Cup game against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, word has spread about Iran Sync, a web-based app that lets fans sync their phones to display a digital version of Iran's older monarchist flag.
It also gives the option to display several messages that are clearly aimed at supporting and echoing the platform of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah.
"Turn smartphones into one unified display, a flag or a message for a free Iran," Iran Sync's website reads.
Though it's not yet clear who developed the web-based app, an instructional video featuring Iranian-Canadian boxer Salar Gholami has been circulating on Instagram, showing how Iran Sync uses QR codes to function at scale in a stadium.
"Eventually, cell phones side by side create a unified image that can be seen in the crowd and recognisable from a distance as a collective message for a free Iran," one caption in the video reads.
The video has received more than 36,000 likes and almost 2,000 comments.
Complicating Iran Sync's mission is the fact that not all Iranian fans support the display of the country's shah-era flag, which features a lion and sun.
Fifa has repeatedly conveyed that the display of Iran's older flag would violate the organisation's broader ban on political displays.
A last-minute lawsuit filed in California sought to trigger an injunction that would force Fifa to allow fans to display Iran's pre-revolution flag, but a judge ruled on Monday that the ban could proceed.
In January, as economic protests in Iran began to spread, social media platform X changed the Iranian flag emoji to depict the lion-and-sun design.
The move, designed to show support for demonstrators in the country, was embraced by some, but not all.
“It's a disturbing display of developer activism,” wrote a user on a GitHub thread related to the emoji change.
Another user pointed out that despite the size of protests throughout Iran, the flag featuring the lion “is not internationally recognised”.
There have been several protests against Iran's government in the lead-up to the World Cup, particularly in Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian population.
In the months leading up to the start of the World Cup, Iran's participation was uncertain due to the conflict between Washington and Tehran.
As a result of the tension, the team's initial practice facility was relocated from the US to Mexico.
Iran's opening game will take place Monday night at SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California.
