With Iran qualifying for the World Cup, Arad Ershad had visions of splurging on flights and tickets to attend one of the team’s upcoming first-round matches in Los Angeles.

That changed when Ershad, a New York graduate student who grew up in Tehran, saw how many of the players he had adored since childhood failed to speak out following its theocratic leadership’s deadly crackdown on protesters in January.

“It feels so bad that I do not want them to succeed. They were like my icons, my legends,” he lamented during a recent pickup soccer game on Long Island. “I know playing a World Cup is the biggest thing a soccer player can achieve in his life, but how can you just be silent?”

Ershad is one of many diehard soccer fans in the Iranian diaspora with conflicting emotions as Team Melli, the Persian nickname for Iran’s national squad, prepares for its seventh World Cup. Iran is set to begin its campaign against New Zealand on June 15 near Los Angeles, a region that’s home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran, including many who fled the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Some view the men’s team as complicit in whitewashing the Iranian government’s repression and can’t bear to watch the competition. Others plan to attend Iran’s games to show their love for the country and sport, but bearing signs of protest. Still others say they’ll set politics aside and just enjoy seeing Iran compete on soccer’s biggest stage.

All of this is assuming that the team actually takes part, which Iranian officials called into question because of the country’s war with the United States and Israel. Iranian soccer officials recently met the head of FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, who has insisted that Iran stick to the schedule.

The Iranian team often finds itself unable to avoid political issues. Before a recent match in Turkey, players held small backpacks honouring the Iranian children who were killed in a US missile strike on an elementary school, a move Iranian American fans said showed their allegiance to the government and the political pressure it places on them.

Iranian athletes have faced serious consequences for speaking out. In 2022, a prominent former member of the national team was arrested for allegedly protesting against the country’s leadership. This year, star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn’t selected for World Cup warmup games, reportedly because of a social media post that angered the authorities.

Nader Adeli, who manages Iranian American club team Arya FC’s over-60 squad in Los Angeles, is worried the war might keep Iran from attending the World Cup.

Last month, US President Donald Trump discouraged the Iranian team from taking part, citing safety concerns. In response, Iran asked to move its matches to Mexico, which is co-hosting the event along with the US and Canada, though the head of FIFA has repeatedly rejected such a move.

Adeli, who didn’t win the ticket lottery to attend one of Iran’s two Los Angeles-area matches, said the World Cup should be a moment to enjoy the sport without outside distractions. But with war raging, he doesn’t think the team will travel. And if it does, he doubts whether the players would be able to fully focus on competing.

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