Billionaire businessman Rick Jackson won the Republican primary runoff in Georgia’s race for governor, NBC News projects, defeating President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
Jackson, a healthcare executive and first-time candidate who poured more than $100 million of his own money into his campaign, will face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in the November general election in the battleground state.
With more than 80% of the expected vote tallied, Jackson led Jones 53% to 47%.
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The contest, which went to a runoff after neither Jackson nor Jones won 50% of the vote in the May 19 primary, boiled down to a fierce battle for the MAGA base.
For Jackson, that took on the form of comparing himself in ads and on the stump to Trump, painting himself as a political outsider — even though he didn’t have Trump’s official support. For Jones, that meant leaning heavily into highlighting Trump’s “complete and total endorsement.”
But ultimately, the support from Trump — which first came in August and was reiterated in tele-rallies and social media posts — wasn’t enough. Jones is only the second Trump-backed candidate to lose a Republican primary for governor this election cycle as he has sought to put his stamp on the party across the country.
An eleventh-hour endorsement from outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp on Sunday night, days after early voting had closed, also failed to lift Jones to victory.
During his victory speech in Atlanta, Jackson leaned into his personal story, highlighting how he overcame fleeing abusive parents and living in the state foster care system.
“I know what it’s like to feel like nobody sees you, especially the elite and the powerful,” Jackson said. “When you grow up the way I did, you never forget where you came from. You never forget the families who are working harder than ever, but still falling behind.”
He also took aim at Bottoms, saying that his general election opponent “would be an absolute disaster for Georgia.”
After Jackson unexpectedly jumped into the race in February — six months after Jones did — Jackson pummeled Georgia’s airwaves with ads.
Jackson spent nearly three times as much on ads as Jones did since the beginning of the year and nearly four times as much since the initial primary last month, according to the tracking firm AdImpact.
One cast Jackson as “the straight-talking, Trump-supporting self-made outsider.”
“Like President Trump, I don’t owe anybody anything, and like you, I’m sick of career politicians,” Jackson said in another ad.
In interviews ahead of Tuesday’s runoff, many Georgia voters said his having a background and a style that were similar to Trump’s helped sway them down the stretch to vote for Jackson.
Jackson was also endorsed by Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who held campaign events with him on the eve of the runoff.
“Rick’s rich,” Cruz said Monday. “Rick doesn’t have to do this. He could sit back and play golf all day long and never have to enter this fray.”
While Cruz’s endorsement puts him at odds with Trump, he hinted at Jackson’s similarities with the president. “An outsider, a businessman. I don’t know anyone in politics like that,” Cruz said.
And Monday afternoon, Donald Trump Jr. praised Jackson on X as being among “the patriots building up MAGA and an America First economy.” He stopped short of formally endorsing Jackson but said that regardless of who won the primary, it would be a “victory for MAGA.”
In Georgia’s Senate race, Trump’s endorsed candidate, Rep. Mike Collins, defeated former football coach Derek Dooley in the Republican primary runoff.
Trump’s continued fixation on the 2020 election also loomed over the GOP gubernatorial primary in Georgia, which initially also included Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr.
Jones was on the alternate slate of presidential electors who cast votes for Trump at the state Capitol after an official tally confirmed Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. Raffensperger rejected Trump’s plea to “find” more votes in Georgia after the election, while Carr repeatedly said there was no widespread voter fraud in the state, earning the wrath of Trump. (Carr later endorsed Jackson after he didn’t advance to the runoff.)
In a tele-rally Thursday night, Trump lauded Jones for being a “fanatic when it came to election fraud.”
“He battled very strongly, tooth and nail, frankly, for the election integrity in your state,” Trump said on the call.
Jackson’s race against Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta who also served in the Biden administration, will be one of the marquee governor’s races this fall. Even as Georgia has emerged as a key battleground in recent federal elections, the state’s voters last elected a Democratic governor in 1998.

Key events
A selection of Messi stats for you to digest at as the veteran begins his valedictory World Cup.
26 – record number of World Cup matches played
6 – record World Cups appeared in (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo)
13 – World Cup goals (joint fifth all-time)
38 – age at kick-off (12th oldest at the 2026 World Cup)
2 – record number of World Cup golden balls
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Updated at 20.48 EDT
Today’s officials are from Poland, led by referee Szymon Marciniak, who took charge of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, and the 2023 Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
He is a celebrity in Poland, appearing as a contestant on the Polish version of Hell’s Kitchen, and featuring in the documentary series Sędziowie, a behind the scenes look at the life of a referee.
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Conditions are glorious in Kansas City. It is around 26C and dropping as golden hour drifts towards sundown.
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The venue today is Arrowhead Stadium. This classically American open bowl can hold 76,000 spectators and is known commercially as GEHA Field. During the World Cup it is neutralised to Kansas City Stadium.
The primary tenants are NFL franchise the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of four Super Bowls, including three since 2019.
The venue has twice earned the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium, first in 2013, then in 2014, during matches featuring the Chiefs.
Lionel Messi has already stamped his authority on the turf.
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Daniel Sperry brings us one of those necessary World Cup stories that reminds us the hostile politics of the leaders of a nation does not reflect the hospitality of most its residents.
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Jonathan Wilson has spoken to Luciana Alvarengue, the former maths teacher of both Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez, who provides a neat character study of the two World Cup winners.
double quotation mark“You either love maths or you hate it,” Alvarengue says. “There are no grey areas. Julián was very good at maths. He had a very good way of working in the classroom in general. Enzo was a little more difficult to deal with. There are days when you would say he was more focused on a game, on whether he was going to be selected or not.
“When he came into the classroom, Enzo liked to make sounds, banging his pencil case on the table. I remember entering the classroom, and on the left side was Enzo’s place, and he was with his back against the wall, his feet on the other bench, and there were days when he was like: ‘Today I’m going to stay like this.’ Julián was calmer, much more respectful.
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22 players will walk out into the Kansas City evening with an equal chance of influencing this contest but the eyes of the world will be trained squarely on the oldest and shortest of them.
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Your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a Zidane in goal for the Fennecs, Luca Zidane, son of the French World Cup legend.
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Algeria XI
Vladimir Petkovic has opted for a 5-2-3 formation in a bid to stiffen his side’s defence. Star man Riyad Mahrez starts on the bench.
23 Zidane; 17 Belghali, 2 Mandi, 21 Bensebaini, 5 Belaid 15 Ait-Nouri; 19 Bentaleb, 14 Boudaoui; 22 Maza, 11 Hadj Moussa, 9 Gouiri.
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Argentina XI
Lionel Scaloni has left in-demand Julian Alvarez on the bench for Argentina’s opening match. Cristian Romero is fit to start after fleeing Tottenham’s relegation battle.
23 E Martinez; 4 Montiel, 13 Romero, 6 Li Martinez, 25 Medina; 7 De Paul, 24 Fernandez, 20 Mac Allister; 10 Messi, 16 Almada, 22 La Martinez.
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What about Algeria? Even Maher Mezahi isn’t sure what to expect.
double quotation markAlgeria are one of this World Cup’s great unknowns. On paper, this team has an impressive recent record: a friendly victory over the Netherlands made it 21 wins, four draws and three defeats from 28 matches under Vladimir Petkovic, with 67 goals scored. The problem is that it has been achieved against generally poor-quality opposition. Algeria’s qualifying campaign was a breeze, with Guinea and Mozambique – both considered Pot C sides on the continent – being their sternest tests.
We can be pretty sure Petkovic will lean on his players’ technical quality, play attractive football, but leave gaps in behind the defence. What we don’t know is which players will be called upon for half the starting positions.
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Ok, turning our attention now to Argentina v Algeria, let’s get a view on the defending champions from the experts at Olé.
double quotation markThe holders arrive at the World Cup with a squad that knows each other almost by heart but perhaps not with its players in peak physical condition – several had injury set-backs at the end of a very demanding season with their clubs. If everyone is fit, the coach will field many of the same players who were crowned champions in Qatar, with the exception of Ángel Di María, who no longer plays for the national team.
Lionel Scaloni’s plan is to keep the 4-3-3 formation, with a solid defence featuring two centre-backs and two attacking full-backs, plus dynamic midfielders with excellent passing. Lionel Messi leads the charge once more, supported by the formidable Julián Alvarez and Thiago Almada, who could be the breakout star. Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.
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Norway have delivered on their pre-tournament dark horse status with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Iraq to join France at the top of Group I. There was a brace for Erling Haaland, putting the Manchester City goal machine alongside Kylian Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot.
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In the latest who-cares-the-rapture-is-coming-soon-anyway news Johnny Child continues to turn left for global warming.
double quotation markAs a result of the huge distances the New Weather Institute has described this World Cup as “the most polluting event ever”, estimating that it will generate about 9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Air travel is responsible for about 7.7 million tons of that carbon estimate, more than four times that of the average for World Cups held from 2010 to 2022.
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In today’s opening match France overcame a disjointed first half to run out comfortable 3-1 winners over Senegal. Les Bleus didn’t look at their best for big chunks but the class of Olise, Mbappé, Doue, and Barcola proved irresistible.
Mbappé now has 14 goals in 15 World Cup matches, drawing him alongside Gerd Muller on the all-time standings, behind only Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose. He will surely leave North America as the most prolific goalscorer in finals history.
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Max and the gang celebrate Cape Verde on the latest World Cup Daily pod.
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In case you missed it, international manager par excellence Hervé Renard will go to the ball after all. He of the fitted white dress shirt qualified with Saudi Arabia, only to lose his job on the eve of the tournament. The Frenchman has answered Tunisia’s SOS and will replace Sabri Lamouchi in the dugout for the remaineder of the tournament after the former Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City boss was sacked following a grisly opening defeat to Sweden.
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Updated at 19.51 EDT
Michael Butler compiled the latest Football Daily roundup, featuring Pico Lopes, Marcelo Bielsa, and the late Roy Hattersley.
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Let’s ease into the third fixture of matchday six by peering into the mind of David Squires.
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Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of match 19 of the 2026 World Cup between Argentina and Algeria. Kick-off in this Group J clash at Kansas City Stadium is 8pm local time (9pm EDT/2am BST/11am AEST).
The arrival of the defending champions into a tournament always adds a frisson of excitement to proceedings and that is the case today as Argentina get their campaign underway. Of course the presence of la Albiceleste also means that of captain, Lionel Messi, who alone has the heft of a participating nation in these parts since his move to MLS.
2022 was Messi’s crowing glory, the triumph that cemented his status among the very greatest in football history. He is not without a chance of adding a second winner’s medal to his collection in North America, but he faces a tougher task this time around as he and his team battle the unvanquishable opponent: time.
Algeria offer a stiff early test of an ageing team’s title defence. Ranked 28th in the world they are coached by the canny Vladimir Petkovic and captained by serial winner Riyad Mahrez. They warmed up for the World Cup by beating the Netherlands in Rotterdam and thrashing Argentina’s northern neighbours Bolivia 4-0.
I’ll be back shortly with team news and a round-up of all the matchday action so far. In the meantime you can keep an eye on Iraq v Norway and email any thoughts about the tournament so far to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
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Washington — Polls have closed Tuesday in Georgia, which is holding a high-profile runoff race to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and a GOP runoff in the contest for governor.
Georgia is one of four states and the District of Columbia where voters are casting their ballots. There is Republican runoff in Alabama, a primary in California aimed at filling former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s seat and primaries in Oklahoma for the Senate seat that was held by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Here are the major races to watch on Tuesday:
Georgia runoff in GOP Senate primary
Two Republicans are facing off in Tuesday’s Senate runoff in Georgia as they vie for the chance to take on Ossoff in November.
After no candidate secured 50% of the vote in last month’s primary, voters are returning to the polls to decide whether Rep. Mike Collins or former college football coach Derek Dooley will be the Republican nominee for Senate.
Collins, a second-term congressman and the owner of a trucking business, finished first in the initial round of the primaries last month with almost 41% of the vote. Dooley, an attorney who coached football at the University of Tennessee and is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, won around 30% of the vote last month. And a third candidate, Rep. Buddy Carter, was eliminated from the race, coming in behind Collins and Dooley.
The two remaining candidates represent differing visions of the GOP — and what it will take to defeat Ossoff. While Dooley is backed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Collins secured President Trump’s endorsement over the weekend. Collins has positioned himself as a staunch ally of the president, while Dooley has kept more of a distance, billing himself as a political outsider though he’s pledged to work with Mr. Trump to deliver for Georgians.
The runoff sets up a key contest, as Republicans aim to flip the seat in their effort to maintain control of the Senate. Ossoff, who was elected to the Senate in 2021 by a 1.2-point margin, is the sole Democrat facing reelection in a state that Mr. Trump won in 2024. And while the dynamic has made him a top target of the GOP, the prolonged Republican primary process has been a boon for the Democrat, who’s amassed a significant warchest as he looks to combat the inevitable Republican attacks.
Georgia governor’s race GOP runoff
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson are facing off in a Tuesday runoff after neither failed to secure 50% of the vote on May 19. Jones, who has Mr. Trump’s backing, received the most votes on primary day, coming out more than 50,000 votes ahead of Jackson.
But first-place finish doesn’t necessarily mean a win in the runoff — in 2018, Gov. Brian Kemp received 25% of the vote in the primary and 69% in the runoff. There had been several other Republicans on the primary ballot in May, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who received 15% of the vote, and state Attorney General Chris Carr, who received nearly 12%. Both their voters could be crucial to winning the runoff, and Jackson won Carr’s endorsement.
But neither candidate has made a play for Raffensperger, who is most well known for his public role opposing Mr. Trump’s effort to overturn the election results in Georgia, or his voters, which could alienate Mr. Trump’s supporters. Jones was one of Mr. Trump’s alternate electors in 2020 and he has touted his endorsement from Mr. Trump, while Jackson has vowed to be “Trump’s favorite governor.”
The primary had already been expensive before the runoff, and the battle between Jones and Jackson has turned into a slugfest.
On Monday, the eve of the primary, Mr. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., posted on social media in support of Jackson, although he stopped short of an endorsement. “This has been a hard-fought race with a lot of mudslinging, but I know Rick Jackson to be a good man — and that counts for a lot,” Trump Jr. wrote.
The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will go on to face the Democratic nominee, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who secured the nomination outright in the primary.
Alabama runoff in GOP Senate primary
A pair of Republicans are vying for the GOP nomination in Tuesday’s runoff in Alabama as they look to replace Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
With Tuberville leaving the Senate to seek the governor’s mansion, Republicans have faced off for the nomination — which will put the winner on a glidepath to the Senate in the ruby red state that Mr. Trump won by 30 points in 2024.
The president has thrown his support behind Rep. Barry Moore, who’s represented Alabama in the House since 2021. Moore secured nearly 40% of the vote in the primary against U.S. Navy Seal Jared Hudson, who won almost 26%. Another candidate, state Attorney General Steve Marshall, was eliminated.
The race represents another test of the president’s continued influence over the party. While Moore has run as a staunch supporter of Mr. Trump, and touts being among the first to endorse the president in 2015, Hudson, a political newcomer, has positioned himself as an outsider and fighter, while also stressing his commitment to the president’s America First agenda.
Oklahoma Senate race
One of Oklahoma’s Senate seats is open after Mullin vacated it to become Homeland Security Secretary. Gov. Kevin Stitt tapped energy executive Alan Armstrong, who had never held elected office before, to temporarily replace Mullin, but Oklahoma law prevents Armstrong from running in November.
GOP Rep. Kevin Hern quickly secured Mr. Trump’s endorsement, and he faces four primary challengers on Tuesday. Hern has also gotten the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Sen. Tim Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
There are five Democrats vying to be on the ballot in November: Jim Priest, N’Kyla Jasmine Thomas, Troy Green, Ervin Stone Yen and R.O. “Joe” Cassity Jr.
Oklahoma is a solidly Republican state, with Mr. Trump capturing 66% of the vote in 2024, so whoever wins the GOP Senate primary is favored to win in November.
California special election
A special election primary will be held Tuesday in Swalwell’s district to fill out the remainder of his term. Swalwell resigned in March amid allegations sexual assault and other misconduct accusations from several women.
Eleven candidates are vying to finish out Swalell’s term, and the top two finishers, regardless of party, in Tuesday’s primary will advance to a special election on Aug. 18.
Democrat Aisha Wahab has already advanced to the general election in November, while the second candidate to advance after the June 2 primary has yet to be determined. The district is rated by nonpartisan Sabato Crystal Ball at UVA’s Center for Politics as Safe Democratic.
D.C. delegate
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton has represented Washington, D.C., as the non-voting delegate since 1991, only the second person ever to hold the job. Now 89 years old, the onetime powerhouse had retreated from the public view as she had gotten older and faced questions about her fitness for office before she announced in January that this term would be her last.
There are five candidates running for the seat: Holmes’ former staffer Trent Holbrook, Councilmembers Brooke Pinto and Robert White, former Justice Department official Kinney Zalesne and Greg Jaczo, a a physicist and former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Holmes Norton has not endorsed a successor.
Looming over both the race for delegate and the mayor’s race is Mr. Trump’s push for a federal takeover of Washington and the district’s push for statehood. Congress retains the authority to amend or block D.C. laws, and did so in 2023 when it nullified a crime bill that would have eliminated most mandatory minimum sentences. Mr. Trump also commands the D.C. National Guard — the only unit of all 54 states and territories which reports only to the president.
All of the candidates running are supporters of D.C. statehood, which passed the House six years ago but died in the Senate.
D.C. mayor
Washington, D.C., residents will be choosing their mayor using ranked choice for the first time after approving a ballot measure in 2024. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last year that she would not be seeking a fourth term, and the winner of Tuesday’s primary is heavily favored to win in November given D.C.’s Democratic leaning.
There are two leading Democrats in the race: Councilmembers Kenyon McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George, the only member of the D.C. council who is also in the Democratic Socialists of America. Last week, Mr. Trump weighed in on the race, saying he “wouldn’t like it” if Lewis George won, since she is focusing on democratic socialist policies.
“And maybe we’d take back Washington and run it on the federal basis,” he added. “We won’t put up with it.”

A San Francisco lawmaker criticized Giants players for writing Bible verses on their cap during the organization’s Pride Night as MLB warned the team about the messages on Monday.
Matt Dorsey, a Democrat who represents District 6 and sits on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, wrote on social media the event was “disappointing in several respects.” He authored a lengthy thread on X about the ordeal.
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“First, as a sports fan, it struck me as problematically undisciplined,” he began. “When you’re a highly paid professional athlete, your uniform isn’t a canvas for individual self-expression — especially about politics — and it has been my observation over the years that championship-caliber teams never tolerate distractions like this.
“Second, as a person of faith, I’ll be the first to defend Bible verses and prayer as sources of inspiration and strength for many athletes — I have no problem with that. But I am bothered to see Biblical cherry-picking used to score political points, on a single occasion, and it’s hard to argue this was anything other than that.”
Dorsey added that, as a gay man, he was “disappointed” that a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community was still seen as “controversial.”
“Major cities with major-league sports teams are inherently diverse, and if you’re uncomfortable celebrating the wide array of heritage and pride nights for communities that make up the city on your uniform, maybe the major leagues aren’t for you.”
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Still, Dorsey didn’t think the players who wrote the Bible verses on their Pride Night cap were “bigoted.”
“All that being said, I refuse to call what these athletes did bigoted or hateful — and I would urge all those offended or hurt by this episode to show them grace. The LGBTQ+ equality movement succeeds when we commit to winning hearts and minds, rather than shaming them,” he added.
MLB warned Giants players about the Bible verses.
“The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” MLB’s chief communications officer Pat Courtney said in a statement, via The Athletic.
San Francisco pitcher Landen Roupp wrote “Gen 9:12-16” on his cap over the weekend and was asked about the decision.
“It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise that he makes to us that, you know, his faithfulness and his mercy,” Roupp said to reporters. “That’s just kind of something I believe in, and I stand firm in that, and I’m thankful we live in a country where, you know, we have the freedom to believe what we want … and express what we want.
“There’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for, and what I stand in. I believe in God.”
Giants manager Tony Vitello also seemed to brush off the issue.
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“Not really. I mean, just kind of a general knowledge of the individuals have the freedom to do what they think is best,” Vitello said. “But I do think it’s been apparent from day one, actually, even some of the exhibition games, it’s pretty impressive how the Giants, as an organization, try and embrace the entire community.”

LOS ANGELES — Fans snuck them into the stadium. Demonstrators waved them outside the security gates. And at watch parties around the city, they appeared whenever the “home” team scored.
The lion-and-sun flag, associated with Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was seemingly everywhere across “Tehrangeles” on Monday as Iran opened its World Cup campaign against New Zealand.
But its meaning varied depending on who carried it.
Some told NBC News the flag symbolized solidarity with the Iranian people, who many feel have been isolated by conflict and political turmoil. Others said it represented opposition to Team Melli, Iran’s national soccer team, which they view as an extension of the clerical regime governing the Islamic Republic.
The competing interpretations reflect a question that has long weighed on the Iranian diaspora: Can pride in their country coexist with opposition to its government?
“I think at the moment people are so confused, people are so angry … and they don’t know whether they support our team or not,” said Helen Kohandel, who draped one of the flags over her shoulders as she prepared to enter the stadium on Monday, defying a ban on the flag from FIFA.
“Because after all, we know that they need to be supported by the regime, otherwise they can’t play.”
The thrill of the World Cup for this soccer-mad country and its diaspora comes at a hugely fraught time for Iranians both inside and outside of the country.
Thousands were killed during a brutal government crackdown earlier this year on anti-government unrest that had been sparked in part by soaring inflation.
Then, in late February, the U.S. and Israel launched a war that consumed the Middle East and was felt from Tehran to ‘Tehrangeles’ and beyond. On Sunday, not long before Team Melli landed on U.S. soil, President Donald Trump announced the two sides had agreed a deal to end fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The news, however, came too late to benefit the team, which had already navigated several hurdles including visa issues and a last-minute move of its training camp from the U.S. to Tijuana, Mexico.
By gametime, Iran had been met with both jeers — as the national anthem played — and thunderous cheers — when Team Melli scored in the 2-2 tie.
“There were many Iranians here,” Coach Amir Ghalenoei told reporters after the match. “They believed in different political affiliations, different beliefs, but they all wholeheartedly encouraged us and I think that’s a victory for all of us.”
Some demonstrators said they wished Team Melli would do more to stand up against the regime, with several protesters outside the stadium calling on FIFA to expel the team entirely.
“All of us are here for a protest against Islamic Republic,” said Kourosh Salman, as a 15-foot lion-and-sun flag flew over his head. “Let us challenge them.”
But others said it’s unrealistic to expect political action from the players, as they are at risk of being punished if they defy the government.
“Separating politics from sports has gotten increasingly difficult because I think sports has gotten political, and politicians have come for sports,” actor and activist Nazanin Nour said in a phone interview ahead of the game.
In March, the Iranian women’s soccer team were branded “traitors” on state television after they didn’t sing the national anthem ahead of a match in Australia. The country granted six of the players humanitarian visas, but five quickly withdrew their claims for asylum and the women then sang the anthem at their following games.
Key striker Sardar Azmoun was omitted from the men’s World Cup roster after Iranian media reported ​that he had been expelled from the national team for what was described as an act of disloyalty to the government.
Ahead of the tournament, taking place across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, FIFA outlawed the lion-and-sun flag at matches, saying it violated the organization’s code of conduct prohibiting “banners, flags, fliers, apparel and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature.”
Many Iranians at the match, eager to express their views publicly, ignored the policy. Nour was among them, proudly posing with a lion-and-sun flag from the stands.
“The regime has taken away so much from Iranians,” Nour said. “But I don’t believe that me going to the game to show my pride in being Iranian means I support every player, or everything they stand for … Our love of being Iranian surpasses everything else.”
Nour said she understands why members of the diaspora struggle with whether to support Team Melli. “Everyone’s decisions are informed by their pain and trauma,” she said.
Ultimately, however, she decided the regime doesn’t “own our culture or our joy. We do.”
The roars each time Iran surged forward suggested she was far from alone. And across town, the mood was jubilant at Meymuni Cafe, where owner Shaheen Ferdowsi had organized a watch party centered around the community.
As patrons sipped on lavashak (traditional Persian fruit leather) smoothies and dug into Persian nachos, they erupted in applause and screams during Iran’s best moments of the game. For attendees, the focus was on soccer — and spending time with one another.
“I want to celebrate the people of Iran,” said Parvin, who requested that her last name be withheld due to concerns about potential political repercussions in her home country for speaking publicly on the issue. “The next generation, I just want them to be happy as they watch from home.”
Her sister, Parvaneh, who also requested her last name be withheld for the same reason, said she was watching the game out of “curiosity” — not excitement.
“I get chills seeing the flag,” she said, pointing to the official Islamic Republic of Iran flag on the TV screen as the game was kicking off.
“It’s not ours.”