A FRIEND WAS visiting from overseas recently and during a spin through Dublin remarked how nice it was to see so many Ireland flags around the place, stuck to lampposts, hanging out of windows, dangling off bridges.
They asked if there was a sporting occasion coming up that they weren’t aware of. It was up to yours truly to explain why the flags might not be as welcoming and celebratory as one might think. This is not an issue that has stretched to our friend’s little pocket of the globe just yet.
The conversation left us thinking about sport, and what the streets of Dublin might look like if the Republic of Ireland were currently preparing to kick-off their World Cup campaign on the other sign of the Atlantic. Would you be able to tell the difference between an ‘IRELAND IS FULL’ and a ‘HEIMER’S ARMY’ flag? Would you know which flag was flown to make immigrants feel uncomfortable, and which was flown to celebrate the most diverse Ireland team we’ve ever known? Maybe we’ll find out during the 2028 Euros.
The Irish tricolour and it's colours are frequently used in anti-immigration protests. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
As we’ve seen in this country over the last few years, flags can hold different meanings at different times. The same flag that once stood as a symbol of unity can be stolen as a sign of division.
Often, football has been the source from where that conversation has flowed. The 2026 World Cup will prove no different. Inevitable really, when you consider this is the first World Cup where a host nation stages the team of a country it is at war with.
Over 85,000 people of Persian ancestry live in Los Angeles County. More than one-third of all the estimated 520,000 or so people of Iranian ancestry in the States call South California or the San Francisco Bay Area home. In west LA, the strong Iranian influence around the Westwood area birthed the name ‘Tehrangeles.’
In a less volatile world this World Cup would represent a celebration for those Iranian-Americans, with Iran due to play their two opening group games at the Los Angeles Stadium, before heading to Seattle for their third fixture. Instead, there are Iranians wrestling with the question of supporting the team given the divisive nature of the war and anti-government sentiments, while the Iranian team itinerary involves spending as little time on US soil as possible. The Iran squad will be based in Mexico and fly into the US the day before match days.
It’s a tense situation, with Iran already claiming 15 of their officials and staff have been denied entry to the US. Unsurprisingly, rather than attempting to quell any concerns, US president Donald Trump has flicked a match at the petrol.
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In the ocean of controversy and nonsense surrounding this World Cup it’s easy to forget that in April, Trump’s US special envoy Paolo Zampolli suggested Iran should be removed from the tournament and replaced by Italy. It’s harder to forget Trump’s stark warning that it would not be appropriate for Iran to participate for “their own life and safety”.
One flag popular with Iranian supporters has already been banned by Fifa. Like the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the pre-revolutionary Iran flag is red, white and green. Yet while the current flag bears an Islamic symbol and phrasing – Allāhu akbar (God is great) – the pre-revolutionary flag shows the sun and a lion.
This flag was replaced in 1979 but has continued to be used as a symbol of protest. Many Iranians view the Islamic Republic as the one to rally against given their opposition to the government.
So back in February, when reports emerged that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in a US-Israeli military strike, Iranian-Americans celebrated in the streets with both the US flag and the Iranian Sun and Lion flag.
Iranian-Americans celebrating in the streets in LA after reports Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a US Israeli military strike. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Yet Fifa view the Sun and Lion flag as one of protest, and therefore forbidden. (No such ban has been placed on the Palestine flag, as it is the officially approved flag of a Fifa member association.)
At the 2022 World Cup, some Iranian supporters managed to get the Sun and Lion flag inside the stadiums for group games against England, Wales and the US, while others claimed to have had theirs confiscated. Similar is expected this time around, and with that in mind a group of Iranian activists have launched a digital platform which synchronizes mobile phone screens to create large coordinated images – such as flags – across a crowd. Large numbers of Iran supporters are still expected to bring the Lion and Sun flag to the games. (Iran start their World Cup against New Zealand at 2am Irish time on Tuesday).
Yet the first job is to simply get inside the stadium. Iran is one of four competing nations – along with Haiti, Ivory Coast and Senegal – whose citizens are barred from receiving the visitor visas recommended for travelling fans. On Tuesday, the Iranian football federation accused the US of obstructing the attendance of Iranian supporters, claiming the co-host nation had revoked its allocation of tickets.
There is so much room for this tension to escalate. Should Iran finish second in Group G, and the US are runners-up in Group D, then Iran and the US will meet in Dallas in the round of 16 on 3 July.
A day later, the country will be plastered with the stars and stripes as America celebrates Independence Day, and the nation’s 250th birthday.
Trump has grabbed the occasion and twisted it to his own crude, MAGA-tinted taste. The American flag features heavily in any grand Trump plan, and so the 90ft claw-like URC ring which currently sits on the White House South Lawn arches its red, white and blue limbs into the Washington sky.
The UFC ring being constructed on the White House South Lawn. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Trump and the URC always felt a natural fit. His relationship with football, less so. As much as Fifa president Gianni Infantino bows to his second-favourite leader (his first, clearly, is Gianni Infantino) Trump has always been the less enamoured of the two. Indeed, perhaps the most relatable Trump has ever been was when he admitted he wouldn’t fork out the $1,000 (€870) asking price for a ticket to watch the US’s World Cup opener v Paraguay.
Fifa stands eager to embrace Trump with open arms, but unlike Arsenal-loving New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, the president’s interest in football does not extend beyond events that he can use to his own gain. Unlike the UFC, NFL or golf, MAGA has had less success infiltrating the football world.
For many, support for Trump signals support for the very idea of America, but try to enter a World Cup venue with a MAGA cap on your head this summer and you might find either the offending item removed from your head, or yourself from the stadium, as one season-ticket holding St Louis City fan found out last year. The MLS fan code of conduct prohibits items campaigning or advocating for or against any candidate or political party.
The language in that code of conduct has previously caused problems. In 2019, MLS banned anti-fascist Iron Front flags, which carry the symbol of three arrows pointing diagonally downwards to the left. First used by an anti-Nazi paramilitary group in the 1930s, the MLS pointed to its links with Antifa, viewed by the MLS as a political organisation. Following fan protests, the ban was overturned after just a few months. 2019 also saw a supporter removed from an MLS game for displaying a TRUMP 2020 flag.
Giovanni Infantino wears a USA hat during a Board of Peace in February. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Fifa’s stadium code of conduct bans materials of a “political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature.” That didn’t stop Infantino doffing his red Trump cap at a Board of Peace meeting earlier this year, which led to him being investigated and cleared by the International Olympic Committee for breaching its rules on political neutrality.
The US team kicked-off their World Cup campaign against Paraguay in LA on Saturday morning. Don’t equate the sight of American flags in the crowd with support for their nation’s leader, but it will be interesting to see if any red caps appear in the stands over the coming weeks, or if Trump’s supporters make any noticeable imprint on the event.
Few nations have had as complicated a relationship with their national identity as Germany, but two decades ago a home World Cup helped the nation reevaluate how they view their flag.
The German flag had lived through a complicated, horrific history before finally becoming a symbol of pride again during the 2006 World Cup, a period that would be described as a cathartic experience for the German people.
The flag we know today was first introduced after World War 1, but when Adolf Hitler became leader in 1933 he had it banned, instead adopting the old red/white/black flag of the German Empire alongside the Nazi Flag. In 1935 the Nazi flag became the sole national flag of Germany.
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German fans during a public viewing event in Berlin in 2006. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The black/red/yellow German flag wouldn’t return until 1949, but it would take a football tournament 57 years later for the public to finally embrace it again. 2006 marked the first time Germany hosted a major football tournament since reunification, and with a strong team doing well on home soil – Jürgen Klinsmann’s team finished third – people lined the streets decked out in their national colours in scenes which weren’t even matched when Germany went on to win the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
At the time, The Guardian reported from the streets of Berlin: “Patriotic behaviour among England fans is hardly unusual. But for Germans it marks something of a breakthrough. Traditionally Germany has avoided ostentatious displays of national sentiment for obvious historical reasons. But ever since Jürgen Klinsmann’s young side beat Costa Rica 4-2 in the opening game there has been an explosion in the host nation of patriotic feeling.”
As much as the public were supporting the tournament and their team, this was a celebration of being German. That in itself proved a significant cultural moment.
As reported by The New York Times: “The display of the flag is topic No. 2 in this country these days — No. 1 is the World Cup itself — talked about in editorials and on talk radio, with people calling in to say that, finally, they feel proud to be German.”
A reminder that sometimes the people can ensure the power and symbolism of a World Cup is harnessed in the right way.
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Flag bearers: The World Cup has always been ripe for symbolism and protest
A FRIEND WAS visiting from overseas recently and during a spin through Dublin remarked how nice it was to see so many Ireland flags around the place, stuck to lampposts, hanging out of windows, dangling off bridges.
They asked if there was a sporting occasion coming up that they weren’t aware of. It was up to yours truly to explain why the flags might not be as welcoming and celebratory as one might think. This is not an issue that has stretched to our friend’s little pocket of the globe just yet.
The conversation left us thinking about sport, and what the streets of Dublin might look like if the Republic of Ireland were currently preparing to kick-off their World Cup campaign on the other sign of the Atlantic. Would you be able to tell the difference between an ‘IRELAND IS FULL’ and a ‘HEIMER’S ARMY’ flag? Would you know which flag was flown to make immigrants feel uncomfortable, and which was flown to celebrate the most diverse Ireland team we’ve ever known? Maybe we’ll find out during the 2028 Euros.
As we’ve seen in this country over the last few years, flags can hold different meanings at different times. The same flag that once stood as a symbol of unity can be stolen as a sign of division.
Often, football has been the source from where that conversation has flowed. The 2026 World Cup will prove no different. Inevitable really, when you consider this is the first World Cup where a host nation stages the team of a country it is at war with.
Over 85,000 people of Persian ancestry live in Los Angeles County. More than one-third of all the estimated 520,000 or so people of Iranian ancestry in the States call South California or the San Francisco Bay Area home. In west LA, the strong Iranian influence around the Westwood area birthed the name ‘Tehrangeles.’
In a less volatile world this World Cup would represent a celebration for those Iranian-Americans, with Iran due to play their two opening group games at the Los Angeles Stadium, before heading to Seattle for their third fixture. Instead, there are Iranians wrestling with the question of supporting the team given the divisive nature of the war and anti-government sentiments, while the Iranian team itinerary involves spending as little time on US soil as possible. The Iran squad will be based in Mexico and fly into the US the day before match days.
It’s a tense situation, with Iran already claiming 15 of their officials and staff have been denied entry to the US. Unsurprisingly, rather than attempting to quell any concerns, US president Donald Trump has flicked a match at the petrol.
In the ocean of controversy and nonsense surrounding this World Cup it’s easy to forget that in April, Trump’s US special envoy Paolo Zampolli suggested Iran should be removed from the tournament and replaced by Italy. It’s harder to forget Trump’s stark warning that it would not be appropriate for Iran to participate for “their own life and safety”.
One flag popular with Iranian supporters has already been banned by Fifa. Like the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the pre-revolutionary Iran flag is red, white and green. Yet while the current flag bears an Islamic symbol and phrasing – Allāhu akbar (God is great) – the pre-revolutionary flag shows the sun and a lion.
This flag was replaced in 1979 but has continued to be used as a symbol of protest. Many Iranians view the Islamic Republic as the one to rally against given their opposition to the government.
So back in February, when reports emerged that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in a US-Israeli military strike, Iranian-Americans celebrated in the streets with both the US flag and the Iranian Sun and Lion flag.
Yet Fifa view the Sun and Lion flag as one of protest, and therefore forbidden. (No such ban has been placed on the Palestine flag, as it is the officially approved flag of a Fifa member association.)
At the 2022 World Cup, some Iranian supporters managed to get the Sun and Lion flag inside the stadiums for group games against England, Wales and the US, while others claimed to have had theirs confiscated. Similar is expected this time around, and with that in mind a group of Iranian activists have launched a digital platform which synchronizes mobile phone screens to create large coordinated images – such as flags – across a crowd. Large numbers of Iran supporters are still expected to bring the Lion and Sun flag to the games. (Iran start their World Cup against New Zealand at 2am Irish time on Tuesday).
Yet the first job is to simply get inside the stadium. Iran is one of four competing nations – along with Haiti, Ivory Coast and Senegal – whose citizens are barred from receiving the visitor visas recommended for travelling fans. On Tuesday, the Iranian football federation accused the US of obstructing the attendance of Iranian supporters, claiming the co-host nation had revoked its allocation of tickets.
There is so much room for this tension to escalate. Should Iran finish second in Group G, and the US are runners-up in Group D, then Iran and the US will meet in Dallas in the round of 16 on 3 July.
A day later, the country will be plastered with the stars and stripes as America celebrates Independence Day, and the nation’s 250th birthday.
Trump has grabbed the occasion and twisted it to his own crude, MAGA-tinted taste. The American flag features heavily in any grand Trump plan, and so the 90ft claw-like URC ring which currently sits on the White House South Lawn arches its red, white and blue limbs into the Washington sky.
Trump and the URC always felt a natural fit. His relationship with football, less so. As much as Fifa president Gianni Infantino bows to his second-favourite leader (his first, clearly, is Gianni Infantino) Trump has always been the less enamoured of the two. Indeed, perhaps the most relatable Trump has ever been was when he admitted he wouldn’t fork out the $1,000 (€870) asking price for a ticket to watch the US’s World Cup opener v Paraguay.
Fifa stands eager to embrace Trump with open arms, but unlike Arsenal-loving New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, the president’s interest in football does not extend beyond events that he can use to his own gain. Unlike the UFC, NFL or golf, MAGA has had less success infiltrating the football world.
For many, support for Trump signals support for the very idea of America, but try to enter a World Cup venue with a MAGA cap on your head this summer and you might find either the offending item removed from your head, or yourself from the stadium, as one season-ticket holding St Louis City fan found out last year. The MLS fan code of conduct prohibits items campaigning or advocating for or against any candidate or political party.
The language in that code of conduct has previously caused problems. In 2019, MLS banned anti-fascist Iron Front flags, which carry the symbol of three arrows pointing diagonally downwards to the left. First used by an anti-Nazi paramilitary group in the 1930s, the MLS pointed to its links with Antifa, viewed by the MLS as a political organisation. Following fan protests, the ban was overturned after just a few months. 2019 also saw a supporter removed from an MLS game for displaying a TRUMP 2020 flag.
Fifa’s stadium code of conduct bans materials of a “political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature.” That didn’t stop Infantino doffing his red Trump cap at a Board of Peace meeting earlier this year, which led to him being investigated and cleared by the International Olympic Committee for breaching its rules on political neutrality.
The US team kicked-off their World Cup campaign against Paraguay in LA on Saturday morning. Don’t equate the sight of American flags in the crowd with support for their nation’s leader, but it will be interesting to see if any red caps appear in the stands over the coming weeks, or if Trump’s supporters make any noticeable imprint on the event.
Few nations have had as complicated a relationship with their national identity as Germany, but two decades ago a home World Cup helped the nation reevaluate how they view their flag.
The German flag had lived through a complicated, horrific history before finally becoming a symbol of pride again during the 2006 World Cup, a period that would be described as a cathartic experience for the German people.
The flag we know today was first introduced after World War 1, but when Adolf Hitler became leader in 1933 he had it banned, instead adopting the old red/white/black flag of the German Empire alongside the Nazi Flag. In 1935 the Nazi flag became the sole national flag of Germany.
The black/red/yellow German flag wouldn’t return until 1949, but it would take a football tournament 57 years later for the public to finally embrace it again. 2006 marked the first time Germany hosted a major football tournament since reunification, and with a strong team doing well on home soil – Jürgen Klinsmann’s team finished third – people lined the streets decked out in their national colours in scenes which weren’t even matched when Germany went on to win the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
At the time, The Guardian reported from the streets of Berlin: “Patriotic behaviour among England fans is hardly unusual. But for Germans it marks something of a breakthrough. Traditionally Germany has avoided ostentatious displays of national sentiment for obvious historical reasons. But ever since Jürgen Klinsmann’s young side beat Costa Rica 4-2 in the opening game there has been an explosion in the host nation of patriotic feeling.”
As much as the public were supporting the tournament and their team, this was a celebration of being German. That in itself proved a significant cultural moment.
As reported by The New York Times: “The display of the flag is topic No. 2 in this country these days — No. 1 is the World Cup itself — talked about in editorials and on talk radio, with people calling in to say that, finally, they feel proud to be German.”
A reminder that sometimes the people can ensure the power and symbolism of a World Cup is harnessed in the right way.
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2026 world cup Soccer