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🚨🤯 CONFIRMED: Alireza Faghani will be the match referee for the Mexico vs. England game!

He was also the referee for Mexico vs. Germany at the 2018 World Cup. 🍿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/aM3gEl9Kpd

— All Fútbol MX 🇲🇽 (@AllFutbolMX) July 3, 2026

Islamic Republic state TV celebrated the overtime goal by Algeria on Austria, saying "Allah is rewarding us" and "muslims save other muslims"

However just a few seconds later Austria scored another goal which eliminated the IRGC team😂🤣 🤣pic.twitter.com/DNqkSYpfhp

— Savakzadeh (@Savakzadeh) June 28, 2026

Congratulations Carlos Queiroz

🚨 Jose Mourinho on Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand:

“Belgium did everything correctly. They created chances. Good chances. Very good chances. The type of chances where everybody in the stadium is already celebrating before the ball reaches the net. Then Beiranvand saves it.… pic.twitter.com/UYfHdhb8Kq

— Chino (@ChinoUTD) June 21, 2026

Iran booed during its national anthem ahead of World Cup match

Homeland Security is changing guidelines for Iran soccer team’s next match

Mehdi Taremi of Iran celebrates a goal against Belgium on June 21 in Los
Angeles, Calif. (Shaun Clark / ISI Photos via Getty Images)© Shaun Clark

The Department of Homeland Security is changing the guidelines for Iran’s national soccer team ahead of its third World Cup match on Friday to accommodate extra time afforded to other countries in the tournament, a department spokesperson told NBC News.

The shift comes as the Iranian soccer federation said it planned to lodge an official complaint with FIFA, the governing body for the World Cup, over its treatment in the U.S. so far.

The team will now be allowed to travel to Seattle, Washington, two days before their game, allowing for an extra day beyond the 24-hour window given to Team Melli for its first two games. But the team will still be asked to depart for its home base in Tijuana, Mexico, after the match wraps up.

“Ahead of the match in Seattle on June 26, the Iranian team will be allowed to come in match day minus two, so two days before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match,” a DHS spokesperson said.

“Again, the President wants to make sure that we’re talking about what actually happens on the pitch,” the statement continued. “A lot of that is making sure that things are safe and secure, not just around the stadiums, but around base camps and training sites.”

Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House FIFA Task Force, hinted at the possibility in recent days, saying there were active discussions about changing the policy.

The Iranian team was originally slated to train at a facility in Tucson, Arizona, before its base camp was abruptly moved to Tijuana, Mexico, in late May.

That means the team has shuttled to and from games in less time than in other countries, and they’ve had to depart the U.S. after each of their first two matches.

The team had previously complained about unfair treatment in the tournament so far, in which the other 47 teams have been able to travel to matches earlier and stay afterward for recovery time if they prefer. The Iranian team coach said his players were “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.”

Iran tied both of its first two matches in Los Angeles and could advance with a victory over Egypt on Friday in Seattle.

All of this comes on the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, which launched in late February. The president and his administration have this week been touting peace talks to end the conflict, including the latest that Iran has “fully and completely agreed” to nuclear inspections long into the future, Trump said Tuesday.

Iranian fans flood SoFi Stadium with banned Lion-and-Sun flags despite FIFA's crackdown at World Cup

FIFA tried to ban the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag. Iranian fans at SoFi Stadium made sure everyone saw it anyway.

For the second straight World Cup match in LA, Iranian supporters openly flooded the stands with the Lion-and-Sun flag during Sunday's 0-0 draw against Belgium, completely ignoring FIFA's efforts to keep the symbol out of the tournament.

Iran supporter detained by security during Belgium-Iran FIFA World Cup
2026 Group G match at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles. ( Photo by Nico
Vereecken / Photo News via Getty Images) Getty Images© ( Photo by Nico
Vereecken / Photo News via Getty Images)

According to videos and photos shared by the X account Throwback Iran, FIFA and stadium security cranked up screening measures ahead of kickoff, subjecting fans to additional security screenings to keep the banned flag out of the venue. But the effort did little to stop it.

Iranian supporters celebrate their team's hard-fought scoreless draw against
Belgium during FIFA World Cup 2026 action in Inglewood, California. (Photo
by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty
Images) Getty Images© Getty Images

The massive backlash against Iran's ruling regime was impossible to miss before the game even kicked off.

Tensions boiled over during the match when a fan wearing an Iran shirt was arrested and escorted out by law enforcement.

Despite the heavy security presence, large Lion-and-Sun flags remained visible throughout the stands for most of the match.

The political drama largely overshadowed the action on the pitch. Iran ground out a hard-fought point in a scoreless draw against a Belgium squad that dropped to 10 men after Nathan Ngoy picked up a second-half red card.

Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves to preserve the clean sheet, while Mehdi Taremi had a first-half goal overturned by an offside review.

Sunday's defiance perfectly mirrored Iran's opener against New Zealand, where fans similarly ignored FIFA's restrictions and loudly booed the official anthem.

But the fans appear unmoved. With Iran set to face Egypt in its final Group G match on June 26, tournament officials may soon find themselves dealing with the same scenes all over again.

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