Iran flag differences, explained: What to know about World Cup ban and history before, after 1979 revolution

Iran flag differences, explained: What to know about World Cup ban and history before, after 1979 revolution originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Iran's World Cup campaign has been shadowed by the deep division between the Iranian people and the regime that rules them.

It's a divide that has played out through a row over a flag: not the one on the team's shirt, but the one fans keep smuggling into the stands.When Iran kicked off their 2026 World Cup against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on June 15, much of the noise came from outside the lines. Fans waved an unfamiliar banners in the stands, security seized others at the gates, and the official Iranian anthem was met with jeers before the team rescued a 2-2 draw.

At the centre of it all are two flags that look nothing alike: one flown by the state, the other by large parts of the diaspora. Here is what separates them, and why one has been outlawed at the World Cup.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news | Full World Cup schedule | Buy World Cup ticketsWhat is Iran's current flag?

The official flag of Iran is a horizontal tricolor of green, white and red, adopted on July 29, 1980, in the wake of the Islamic Revolution.At its centre sits a red emblem: a stylised rendering of the word "Allah," shaped to resemble a tulip, a long-standing symbol of martyrdom in Iranian culture, formed from a sword and four crescents.Along the inner edges of the green and red bands, the phrase "Allahu Akbar" ("God is the greatest", the recital of which is known as the takbir) is repeated 22 times in angular Kufic script.

The colors are read as growth and vitality (green), peace and freedom (white), and courage and martyrdom (red).This is the flag the Iran national team — known to supporters as Team Melli — plays under, and the one displayed on broadcasts and on FIFA's official tournament graphics.What is Iran's old flag?

The "old" flag is the Lion and Sun, known in Persian as the