Dozens of football fans packed into the Flame International restaurant on Westwood Boulevard in western Los Angeles to watch Iran take on New Zealand in their opening World Cup match.
As Iran’s national anthem played, many in the crowd sang along before erupting into cheers at kick-off.
Young people wrapped in Iran's pre-1979 flags, families with toddlers, older men and groups of friends gathered in the popular restaurant watching the large television screens.
Los Angeles is home to the world’s largest Iranian diaspora community – earning the city the nickname “Tehrangeles”. Most said they felt conflicted about attending and supporting the national team.
“Are they representing the horrifying regime of Iran? Or are they victims themselves and afraid?” said Farra, an Iranian-American grandmother and activist who declined to give her last name. “I decided I’m going to enjoy this game and consider most of them victims who have to stay very, very quiet.”
She said she bought an expensive ticket to attend Iran's next game against Belgium on June 21.
Iran's opening game against New Zealand ended in a 2-2 draw at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, with the Iranian side coming from behind twice. Elijah Just scored twice for New Zealand, while Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi hit back for Iran. That left both teams with one point in Group G.
Mina, who also declined to give his last name, said he always planned to watch the game. He played football as a child and a relative on his father's side in Iran once captained the national team.
He criticised the US government’s decision to prevent Iran’s team from staying in the country during the tournament – forcing the players to base themselves in Mexico – as well as Fifa’s decision to ban Iran’s lion-and-sun flag inside stadiums.
At the same time, he said he remained strongly opposed to Iran’s government.
“At the end of the day, football is something that should be celebrated,” he told The National. “For 90 minutes we should put politics aside and enjoy the game.”
Earlier on Monday, dozens of fans gathered in Saffron & Rose, a popular ice cream parlour on Westwood Boulevard, dressed in Team Melli shirts and preparing for a World Cup match many had waited years to see. The area is lined with Iranian bookshops, restaurants, cafes and shops, where owners offer tea and chat with customers in Farsi. Many display Iran’s pre-1979 flag featuring a lion and sun.
Mahshid Mazooji travelled from New Jersey and met relatives who flew in from across the country. Together they wore matching jerseys and ribbons in the colours of the Iranian flag.
“My whole life I wanted to see a World Cup game,” she said. “Every time Iran made it to the World Cup, I watched religiously.”
She had taped over the emblem of Iran's flag in the centre of her shirt. Her parents had criticised her decision to attend, arguing that going to the match amounted to supporting the Iranian regime.
“I don’t feel all athletes are reflective of the regime,” she said. “I want to support them and their work towards that goal – no pun intended.”
While thousands of supporters have travelled to watch Team Melli, others say they will boycott the match or protest outside.
The announcement by US President Donald Trump that Washington and Tehran had reached a peace settlement after months of war appears to have done little to bridge divisions within the diaspora.
“I can’t in good conscience support a team that, in my view, represents the current regime,” said Alex Mohajer, vice president of Iranian American Democrats for California. “I’ve also been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s actions in Iran.”
Mr Mohajer said he would not watch the match and hoped demonstrations would include displays of Iran’s pre-1979 flag, which Fifa has banned inside stadiums.
About 500,000 Iranian Americans live in the Los Angeles area. The community includes Jewish Iranians, Armenians and Assyrians, many of whose families left in the years surrounding the 1979 revolution that toppled the Pahlavi monarchy and brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power.
Many describe a generational divide. Among some older people, there remains support for Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah – a sentiment observers say reflects nostalgia for a country they feel they lost.
“A crown prince returning to reclaim his country – there’s a certain heroic nostalgic narrative there,” Mr Mohajer said.
Younger Iranian Americans, meanwhile, often speak about democratic transition, rather than restoration. Mana Kharrazi, an Iranian-American community organiser, travelled to Russia in 2018 to watch Iran play in the World Cup. This year, despite the tournament being in her own state, she plans to watch from home.
“Politics and soccer always go hand in hand,” she said. “But for the first time I feel really conflicted, because this feels more like a team of the state than a team of the people.
“How can I watch this sport as business as usual when people are being executed and aren’t even allowed to have gravestones?”
Addressing criticism directly, Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi said the team hoped to bring joy and unity to the country's citizens everywhere, despite war and political tensions.
“We respect all Iranians,” he said. “For many years the civilised country of Iran has been a united nation. We want to showcase that unity. We are here at the World Cup to bring joy to Iranians wherever they are.”
Nakkisa Akhavan, a lawyer in Los Angeles and a longtime football fan, said she, too, would probably watch from home – if at all.
“I wish I could root for the team and that it was easy,” she said. “But I want to make sure I’m listening to what people on the ground in Iran are saying.”
With internet restrictions still affecting communications inside Iran, she said many in the diaspora feel disconnected. “I wish the voices coming from Iran were louder than the diaspora voices right now to give us a little more direction.”
