Iran Leaves SoFi Stadium Note Calling for Peace After 0-0 Draw With Belgium

Iran’s men’s national soccer team left a handwritten note in its SoFi Stadium locker room after a 0-0 draw with Belgium on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif., and the message called for “peace, respect, and friendship among all nations.”

“Iranleft a handwritten note in their dressing room at Los Angeles Stadium after their 0-0 draw withBelgiumon Sunday which mentioned "peace”

ESPN

The note said, “From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast,” and it thanked Los Angeles for “your hospitality” and “every Iranian who gave their heart, voice, and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes.”

Los Angeles Times

The team’s World Cup schedule described in the coverage placed its next match against Egypt at Seattle’s Lumen Field on June 26, after it had drawn 2-2 with New Zealand on June 16.

TheWrap reported that after the Belgium match, players left the note behind before returning to their lodging in Mexico, while the Hill said the note was left at SoFi Stadium just outside Los Angeles after the surprise draw.

The note also included a reference to a strike on a school in Minab, Iran at the start of the conflict with the United States in March, which TheWrap said killed 120-168 students and is still being investigated.

Iran’s World Cup presence was described as surrounded by tension amid the country’s war with Israel and the United States, and U.S. and Iranian officials were said to remain active in negotiations to end the conflict.

UPI reported that several Iranian team staff members were denied entry visas into the United States for the tournament, and it said the Iranians switched their base camp from Arizona to Mexico because of strict travel restrictions.

The Hill

Coach Amir Ghalenoei complained about the time lost to commuting under the restrictions, saying, “We spent so much time in the air commuting, they didn’t even give us time to recover,” and he added that after the game “they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’”

The Los Angeles Times said the team made history with two draws in Inglewood, marking the first time the team has avoided a loss through its first two World Cup games, while it also described protests against the Iranian regime including some booing both times the national anthem was played before kickoffs.

The Hill framed the crowd at the Belgium match as largely pro-Iran, reflecting the large diaspora in southern California, and it said the game took place at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.

With Group G play continuing, Iran was described as facing Egypt in a Group G finale at 11 p.m. EDT Friday in Seattle, and UPI said No. 26 Egypt (1-0-1) currently sits atop Group G with four points.

“byTara Suter06/22/26 03:27 PM ET The Iranian men’s national soccer team left a note behind at SoFi Stadium, just outside of Los Angeles, after it drew with Belgium in what was seen as a World Cup surprise”

The Hill

UPI reported that Iran (0-0-2) sits in second just ahead of third-place Belgium (0-0-2), and it said New Zealand rounds out the group with 0-1-1.

The Hill said the World Cup is hosted in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and comes amid heightened global tensions between Iran and the U.S. given the war, while it also noted that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would host Iran’s men’s team.

ESPN said Iran left the note after its 0-0 draw with Belgium and that the team had to travel from its World Cup base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, restricted before and during the tournament, with the team landing in the U.S. on Saturday night and playing Sunday at midday local time.

TheWrap added that the note included the #Minab reference to the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School hit in a strike at the beginning of the conflict with the United States in March, and it said that strike killed 120-168 students and is still being investigated.