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Judge Upholds FIFA Flag Ban as Iran-New Zealand Draw 2-2

6/16/2026

35 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A Los Angeles judge confirmed FIFA’s ban on the lion-and-sun flag will stay in force for the Iran-New Zealand World Cup match.
Iran and New Zealand drew 2-2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on June 15, 2026, while hundreds of Iranian-American protesters wearing lion-and-sun shirts were confined to a police-designated zone.
Officials ordered the squad, which had moved its training camp to Mexico because of visa problems, to return after the match.

History

Historical Context

Under Sepp Blatter’s presidency, FIFA maintained a policy banning political symbols in its statutes, a rule later enforced by courts. When a Los Angeles judge upheld the ban during the 2024 Iran-New Zealand match at SoFi Stadium, the decision echoed earlier FIFA actions such as the 2006 block of protest-driven Korean traffic and the $150 million bribery scandal revealed in 2015.

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Story summary

A Los Angeles judge confirmed FIFA’s ban on the lion-and-sun flag will stay in force for the Iran-New Zealand World Cup match.
Iran and New Zealand drew 2-2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on June 15, 2026, while hundreds of Iranian-American protesters wearing lion-and-sun shirts were confined to a police-designated zone.
Officials ordered the squad, which had moved its training camp to Mexico because of visa problems, to return after the match.

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