[67242] FIFA expected to ban waving of "unofficial" Iranian flags at the 2026 World Cup

[67242] FIFA expected to ban waving of "unofficial" Iranian flags at the 2026 World Cup

FIFA restricts the waving of flags at the 2026 World Cup

Reports in international and Iranian media indicate that FIFA is planning to ban the entry of flags and symbols associated with pre-revolutionary Iran into the 2026 World Cup stadiums. According to The Athletic, an authorized source at FIFA noted that the organization is working to prevent the entry of these symbols, a move that was also implemented at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The official Iranian news agency IRNA confirmed that this is an initiative intended to comply with a request from the Football Federation of Iran, which submitted a list of demands that included "respect for the official flag of Iran."

Sources identified with the Iranian regime, including خبر فوری جنگ ایران and آخرین خبر, presented the move as a diplomatic achievement for Tehran with FIFA. At the same time, the IRNA news agency quoted the coach of the Iranian wrestling team, Pejman Dorostkar, who encouraged the players ahead of the tournament and noted that "the hearts of 90 million Iranians are with the national team" and that the players must focus on representing the country.

On the other hand, The Athletic cites the FIFA statutes (Article 3.1.24), which mandate a ban on bringing items of a political, offensive, or discriminatory nature. It appears that the tournament management is trying to rely on this clause to prevent political friction in the stands, a step that often draws criticism from Iranian opposition groups abroad who customarily wave the Lion and Sun flags.

In addition, as part of the teams' preparations for the tournament, IRNA reported that the coach of Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti, announced the final squad for the World Cup, which includes the star Neymar, while expressing confidence in his significant contribution to the team's success in the tournament.