NEW DELHI: Just a day before the FIFA World Cup 2026 gets underway, Iranian-American activists and former footballers staged a protest in Los Angeles, calling on FIFA to expel Iran from the tournament over alleged human rights abuses by the country's regime. The protest comes amid heightened political tensions surrounding Iran's participation in the World Cup, with demonstrators urging FIFA to take action against the nation before the tournament begins.
Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand in their opening match at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday, but the build-up to the game was overshadowed by demonstrations outside Los Angeles City Hall. According to Reuters, protesters argued that Iran's participation in the World Cup gives the government in Tehran an opportunity to improve its international image despite its human rights record.
"Bringing them here and having them play basically presents a calm face to the world, when in fact back home there is no calmness, there’s only execution and suffering that the regime has brought," Ryan Salami, a 21-year-old Iranian-American whose parents fled Iran, told Reuters.
The protest featured photographs of athletes whom activists claim were persecuted or died in government custody after opposing authorities. Several speakers, including former Iranian national team players, paid tribute to athletes they said had been targeted by the state.
Among them was former Iran international Asghar Adibi, who represented the country in 1970. Addressing the crowd, Adibi criticised the current national team's association with the Iranian establishment. "This is the ayatollahs’ team," Adibi said. He further alleged that the side was controlled by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), adding that it was wrong to allow an organisation "that kills people, tortures people, to have a team representing them."
The demonstration highlights ongoing concerns over human rights in Iran, with activists using the global platform of the World Cup to call for accountability. FIFA has not yet responded to the demands for Iran's expulsion.
