Outside, chants against the regime and the team. Inside, roars of support for the players. Cheers when Iran scored to twice come from behind to draw 2-2 with New Zealand.
There were thousands of Iranian flags in the stands. From a distance they looked identical. Up close, they told a different story.
Some carried the official flag of the Islamic Republic. Others displayed the Lion and Sun. All were dressed in Iran’s colours.
This is what the footballers were up against: Iran versus Iran.
“It’s complicated,” says Samaneh, an Iranian-American who has lived in the United States for a decade.
“I’m here to support Iran, not the regime. I miss my country.”
She said she cried when Iran’s national anthem played.
“My dad is here, but my mum is stuck in Iran because of paperwork and President Trump’s travel restrictions. I’m worried about her all the time. I’m also scared to go back and visit.”
The contradictions were visible throughout the match.
When New Zealand took the lead, some anti-regime spectators celebrated, waving Lion and Sun flags.
Outside the stadium, the politics quickly came back into focus.
“We don’t want a deal,” says Nini, referring to the latest agreement between Washington and Tehran to end the war between the US and Iran.
“The people of Iran deserve regime change. People were slaughtered on the streets of Tehran.”
“We can’t normalise what happened in January through a sporting event,” says Farimah, who is wearing a T-shirt bearing the Lion and Sun emblem.
“This team doesn’t represent the people of Iran.”
Nearby, Kourosh stands with a makeshift noose around his neck.
“It’s a symbol to stop the execution of brave and innocent people in Iran,” he says.
Like many here, he says the players on the pitch represent the regime, not the people.
The players reject that characterisation.
Before the match, striker Mehdi Taremi said the team plays for all Iranians, at home and abroad, and does not get involved in politics.
Some supporters heading into the stadium agreed.
Despite the tensions between his adopted and native countries, Iranian-American Mostafa believes football should unite people.
“Soccer is about friendship, cultural connections and putting politics aside,” he adds on his way into the stadium.
