The Day Iranians Stopped Watching the World Cup

Shay Khatiri / June 26, 2026 The Day Iranians Stopped Watching the World Cup Soccer gave Iranians a venue for politics and opportunities for connection. Then the regime stepped in. World Events The Iranian national team at the 1968 Asian Cup. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons) The Iranian national team at the 1968 Asian Cup. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons) Audio Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Text Size Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Threads Email 0 Open and scroll to the comments section Growing up, I was always the odd one out at school. My parents had been members of the communist Tudeh Party, an affiliation which, together with their atheism, had landed them in prison in the 1980s.

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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Dispatch.