{"id":1602,"date":"2026-06-16T06:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602"},"modified":"2026-06-16T06:06:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:06:04","slug":"soccer-boos-cheers-and-a-draw-irans-world-cup-opener-reflects-deep-divisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602","title":{"rendered":"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran’s World Cup opener reflects deep divisions"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

INGLEWOOD, California June 15 (Reuters) – Whistles drowned out parts of Iran’s national anthem while other fans sang along, setting the tone for a World Cup opener that often felt more significant for political allegiances than the football on show.<\/p>\n

Read more Australia central bank warns rate hikes might not be over after holding fire<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Before a crowd of more than 70,000 in Los Angeles, home to the world’s largest Iranian diaspora, supporters waved flags, chanted and revealed starkly different loyalties as Iran fought back twice to secure a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cheers greeted Iran’s attacks and goals from much of the crowd, including many supporters carrying the lion-and-sun flag associated with pre-revolutionary Iran. But some boos accompanied the national anthem and pockets of supporters celebrated New Zealand’s goals as enthusiastically as their own.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The divisions in the stands mirrored the challenges facing Team Melli off the pitch.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Iran arrived at the tournament amid heightened tensions with host nation the United States, forcing the team to base themselves in Tijuana, Mexico, and commute across the border for a World Cup in which all three of their group-stage matches are being played on U.S. soil.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some members of the Iranian delegation were also denied entry to the United States.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The opener came less than 24 hours after a framework agreement was announced to end months of war between Iran and the U.S., a conflict that had cast a shadow over the country’s participation in the tournament.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Yet the political backdrop appeared to have little effect on Amir Ghalenoei’s side once the match got underway.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

New Zealand struck first through Elijah Just, who finished off a slick move involving captain Chris Wood midway through the first half.<\/p>\n

Read more South Carolina man killed when car crashes into tree, coroner says<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Iran responded through an unlikely source. Right back Ramin Rezaeian, one of the team’s most influential performers, surged forward and levelled with a composed finish.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just restored New Zealand’s advantage shortly after the interval, again combining effectively with Wood as the winger emerged as the game’s standout attacking force.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With Iran striker Mehdi Taremi kept largely quiet, Rezaeian once again took centre stage.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The veteran delivered a pinpoint cross in the 64th minute that Mohammad Mohebbi guided home to make it 2-2.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The equaliser sparked celebrations among most of the crowd, though the atmosphere remained unlike that of a typical World Cup fixture.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

For long stretches, the match seemed secondary to the emotions swirling around it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some fans arrived wrapped in Iranian flags and chanting in support of Team Melli. Others used the occasion to voice opposition to the government in Tehran, creating a soundtrack of competing loyalties throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By the final whistle, Iran had escaped with a point after twice coming from behind. But on a night shaped by diplomatic tensions, war and a divided diaspora, football had to share the stage.<\/p>\n

Read more Fire ravages apartment complex and causes injury, South Carolina officials say<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Reporting by Hatem MaherEditing by Christian Radnedge)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INGLEWOOD, California June 15 (Reuters) – Whistles drowned out parts of Iran's national anthem while other fans sang along, setting the tone for a World Cup opener that often felt more significant for political allegiances than the football on show.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\nSoccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran's World Cup opener reflects deep divisions - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran's World Cup opener reflects deep divisions - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"INGLEWOOD, California June 15 (Reuters) - Whistles drowned out parts of Iran's national anthem while other fans sang along, setting the tone for a World Cup opener that often felt more significant for political allegiances than the football on show.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-16T06:06:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"headline\":\"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran’s World Cup opener reflects deep divisions\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-16T06:06:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602\"},\"wordCount\":537,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"World\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602\",\"name\":\"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran's World Cup opener reflects deep divisions - US Moving Experts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-16T06:06:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group G - Iran v New Zealand - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 15, 2026 Iran fans celebrate after the match REUTERS\\\/Matthew Childs\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=1602#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran’s World Cup opener reflects deep divisions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"US Moving Experts\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran's World Cup opener reflects deep divisions - US Moving Experts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran's World Cup opener reflects deep divisions - US Moving Experts","og_description":"INGLEWOOD, California June 15 (Reuters) - Whistles drowned out parts of Iran's national anthem while other fans sang along, setting the tone for a World Cup opener that often felt more significant for political allegiances than the football on show.","og_url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602","og_site_name":"US Moving Experts","article_published_time":"2026-06-16T06:06:04+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"headline":"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran’s World Cup opener reflects deep divisions","datePublished":"2026-06-16T06:06:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602"},"wordCount":537,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg","articleSection":["World"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602","name":"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran's World Cup opener reflects deep divisions - US Moving Experts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-16T06:06:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2298ec36f22857390d90d7d76021f393.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group G - Iran v New Zealand - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 15, 2026 Iran fans celebrate after the match REUTERS\/Matthew Childs"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1602#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Soccer-Boos, cheers and a draw: Iran’s World Cup opener reflects deep divisions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/","name":"US Moving Experts","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}