Explained: Why the US vs Iran FIFA World Cup match is a geopolitical slugfest of its own

Iran and US, geopolitical archnemeses for decades, are all set to clash on the field at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. The clash between the two comes amidst the growing political tensions between the US and Iran. From the US showing support to the Iranian protest by not posting Iran’s actual flag on social media to the reports of the Iranian football team getting threats, the clash between the two countries can be seen as the sequel of the 1998 US vs Iran World Cup match. 

Clashes between Iran and the US on the field has generally been accompanied by and off the field histrionics. The year was 1998 when the President of the US Soccer Federation called the 1998 World Cup match between the two countries “the mother of all games.” Things have not changed since then. Add to that, the fact that the clash between the two is materially relevant to their chances of progressing to the next round of the World Cup, and we have a real game on our hands. History will remember that in France 98, bothe teams crashed out of their group.

The Flag Saga

The tensions surrounding this year's World Cup match started when the US Soccer Federation posted an altered image of the Iranian Flag. The federation briefly displayed Iran’s national flag without the emblem of the Islamic Republic. The US claimed that the move was in support of protestors in Iran. The Iranian administration lashed out at the US government accusing the American Federation of removing the name of God from the national flag. 

According to Guardian, the move infuriated the Iranian administration so much so that, Iran Football Federation urged the FIFA officials, to give the US a “10-game suspension for offending the dignity of Iran.” Iran has been engulfed in country-wide anti-government protests which erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. While the US coach Gregg Berhalter apologised for the post with the doctored image, Carlos Queiroz, the coach of the Iranian football team lashed out at the US by alluding to problems with racism in America. Queiroz also brought up the topic of the US school shooting on the world stage while he was expressing his discontent over the issue. Hence the Flag saga added fuel to the tensions between the much-anticipated match. 

The 1998 US vs Iran World Cup: "The mother of all games” 

The Iran-US clash at the World Cup was one for the history books. In 1998, the two nations played each other amidst the political tensions that were then brewing. The president of the US Soccer Federation called it “the mother of all games”. In 1998 the relations between Iran and US were extremely hostile, not dissimilar to how they are now considering Iran blames the US for the protests it's now facing.

The far more recent removal of the pro-western Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, due to the Iranian Revolution and the attack on the American embassy in Iran, contributed to the animosity between the two countries. The American administration’s support of Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war also added fuel to the fire. The tensions were apparent the moment the game began. Since Iran was ‘Team B’ and US was ‘Team A’, Iranian players had to approach the American players for a handshake. However, the players didn’t move, since The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei gave orders to the Iranian football team to not walk toward the American team. With a score of 2-1, Iran ended up winning the most politically charged game. This was the first match the Iranian team won in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

Iran’s internal political tension amidst the growing anti-government protests 

Earlier, the US soccer federation defended their flag move claiming that they, “wanted to show support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights". However, they later posted the actual flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the midst of all this the Qatar authorities, who are the host of this year's World Cup have been preventing the fans from displaying the alternative Iranian flag or any alternative signs or T-shirts with the slogan of “Woman Life Freedom”.

Women in Iran have been banned from attending men’s football games for the last 43 years. Earlier today it was reported that Iran’s World Cup team has been threatened that any act of defiance at the match against the US could lead to the imprisonment or torture of their family members. As per the reports, a source close to the team claimed that the players were warned if they indulge in any act of political demonstration, “their families would suffer violence and torture.” This comes after the Iran side refrained from singing their national anthem before their first match. Hence, it can be easily said that the 2022 World Cup match will be filled with tensions that are brewing off the field.