Iran thanks Los Angeles for hospitality after World Cup draw with Belgium

In a tournament defined by goals, controversies, and VAR drama, one of the most talked-about moments from the 2026 World Cup so far involves a piece of paper.

After their Group G match against Belgium on June 21, Iran’s national team left a handwritten note in their dressing room at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The message thanked Los Angeles for its hospitality and called for peace among nations. It referenced “ancient Persia” and the “civilized Iran of today,” turning a goalless draw into something considerably more poignant than the scoreline suggested.

A draw that meant more than the result

The 0-0 result against Belgium kept Iran’s knockout-stage hopes alive in Group G.

The Tijuana factor

The gesture carries extra weight when you consider the logistics Iran navigated just to play in the United States. The team based itself in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than setting up camp on American soil. Crossing the border from Tijuana to play matches in Los Angeles adds a layer of complexity that most teams at this tournament simply don’t have to deal with.

That context makes the dressing room note feel less like a throwaway gesture and more like a deliberate act of soft diplomacy. The players chose to express gratitude to a city, and by extension a country, where their presence was never going to be politically uncomplicated.

National pride on full display

Iran’s players have reportedly made public expressions of national pride a consistent theme throughout their 2026 campaign. The dressing room note fits neatly into that pattern.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar offered a stark example of how fraught that balance can be. Iranian players faced intense scrutiny over whether they would sing the national anthem amid widespread protests back home. The pressure came from all directions, from their own government, from diaspora communities, from international media.

This time, rather than being defined by what they refused to do, Iran’s players are being defined by what they chose to do. Leaving a note that thanks a host city and advocates for peace is about as positive a headline as an Iranian national team can generate at a US-hosted World Cup.

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