United States v Iran (1998 FIFA World Cup)

United States v Iran, played on 21 June 1998, was a football match between Iran and the United States in the group stage of the 1998 FIFA World Cup at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France. The match, which is described as the "mother of all games" and the "most politically charged game in World Cup history," ended with a 2–1 victory for Iran, the team's first ever victory in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Hamid Estili and Mehdi Mahdavikia scored for Iran, while Brian McBride scored for the United States. The match was played against a backdrop of political tension between the United States and Iran and was seen as an opportunity to improve US-Iran relations which had been nonexistent since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Players and coaches on both teams attempted to downplay the politics of the game, although tensions remained with Iran refusing to approach the Americans during the pre-match ceremony and anti-Iranian regime protests taking place in the stadium. These tensions and concerns over terrorism led to a large police presence at the match. Despite the concerns, the match itself was peaceful. Iran's victory was met with large-scale celebrations in Iran, with the Iranian government presenting it as a display of the unity and superiority of the Iranian people. For the United States, the match was a major disappointment and saw them eliminated from the World Cup. The two teams would meet again twice, in a friendly played in Pasadena, California and in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the United States eliminated Iran 1–0.