cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/photos/p/1200879/banned-persian-flag-at-the-world-cup
this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2026
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It’s the flag of Pahlavist Iran, essentially the Shah’s flag. FIFA only allows flags of member nations, and a ban of this flag in particular was held up in court.
Is this collateral damage from trying to ban the rainbow flag? Why does it matter so much that these things have to be banned in the first place?
No, the Islamic Republic of Iran specifically petitioned FIFA to ensure this flag would not be permitted in the stadiums as this flag represents the regime that the Islamic Republic deposed. Iran has faced multiple rounds of serious protests even before the US initiated war and the son of the Shah is a popular figure that some protesters rally around as an alternative the existing government. Essentially the Iranian leadership sees this as a threat to their governance.
FIFA’s solution is a blanket ban on all “political” flags, which I find kind of silly because all national flags are political symbols. There have definitely been petitions against LGBTQ+ flags in parallel to this situation though.