As Iran began its World Cup campaign amidst a tense political climate, a wave of misleading images and claims spread online about the team making political statements. One photo falsely claimed to show an Iranian player carrying a pink school backpack in tribute to Iranian schoolgirls killed in Minab during the US-Iran conflict. A goal celebration by Iranian forward Mohamed Mohebi was also widely interpreted online as a "threatening" gun gesture.
After kicking off its World Cup debut with a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in Los Angeles, viral posts online claimed the Iranian football team were sending political charged messages on the pitch. This included an AI-generated image of an Iranian player carrying a pink backpack, which was presented as a symbolic gesture to honour the Iranian schoolgirls killed in Minab on the first day of the US-Iran conflict. Captioned "paying tribute to the 168 girls murdered by Donald Trump", it racked up millions of views on X.
The US military have not released a report on their findings into the investigation into the Minab strike, nor publicly acknowledged responsibility.
Another viral image claimed to show the entire Iranian squad with purple backpacks on the pitch during the World Cup, though these images are out of context and misleadingly presented as current World Cup scenes. They date from earlier this year, when Iran played a friendly match against Nigeria in Turkey. The team held up the backpacks during the national anthem as a moment of remembrance.
Viral claims also extended to the pitch, where Iranian forward Mohamed Mohebi faced accusations of making a threatening gesture during a goal celebration. Internet users claimed Mohebi was "threatening" Iranians and World Cup crowds by doing a finger-gun shooting celebration towards fans. There's no indication FIFA are investigating the incident. Mohebi later said the hand signal carried no political message and was simply a spontaneous celebration. Many football fans online also defended Mohebi, pointing out that several footballers from around the world have made similar gestures during a match when celebrating a goal.
The controversy comes as Iran navigates an unprecedented World Cup campaign in a host nation with which it was directly exchanging fire with. The team's coach recently said Iran was the "most oppressed team" in the tournament.
The war in Iran has certainly affected the squad's buildup to the 2026 World Cup. The team, their families and management have complained of visa troubles and the team's base camp redirected to Mexico, while online debate continues over how politics and football are intersecting around the team's participation.
Vedika Bahl investigates in Truth or Fake.
