IranSync is a web-based app that proponents say can be used to display the pre-revolution flag at World Cup matches. Photo: IranSyncIranSync is a web-based app that proponents say can be used to display the pre-revolution flag at World Cup matches. Photo: IranSyncIranSync app lets fans synchronise smartphones to display outlawed monarchist flag inside stadiumsFifa has barred fans from bringing Iran's pre-Islamic Revolution flag to World Cup matches, prompting critics of Tehran to use tech to skirt the rules.Before Iran's opening World Cup draw against New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday, word spread about IranSync, a web-based app that lets fans synchronise their phones to display a digital version of Iran's older monarchist flag. The app also gives the option to display several messages that are clearly aimed at supporting and echoing the platform of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah. "Turn smartphones into one unified display, a flag or a message for a free Iran," IranSync's website says.Though it is not yet clear who developed the app, an instructional video featuring Iranian-Canadian boxer Salar Gholami has been circulating on Instagram. It shows how IranSync uses QR codes to function at scale in a stadium. "Eventually, cell phones side by side create a unified image that can be seen in the crowd and recognisable from a distance as a collective message for a free Iran," one caption in the video says. The video has received more than 36,000 likes and almost 2,000 comments. Complicating IranSync's mission is the fact not all Iranian fans support the display of the country's shah-era flag, which features a lion and sun. Fifa has said repeatedly that displaying the flag breaches the organisation's broader ban on political displays.A last-minute lawsuit filed in California sought to trigger an injunction that would force Fifa to allow fans to display the pre-revolution flag, but a judge ruled on Monday that the ban could proceed.In January, as economic protests in Iran began to spread, X changed the Iranian flag emoji to depict the lion-and-sun design. The move, designed to show support for demonstrators in the country, was embraced by some, but not all. “It's a disturbing display of developer activism,” wrote a user on a GitHub thread related to the emoji change. Another user said that, despite the size of protests throughout Iran, the flag featuring the lion “is not internationally recognised”.There have been several protests against Iran's government in the lead-up to the World Cup, particularly in Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian community. IranSync providers several options to sync phones and display messages and symbols opposing Iran's current ruling regime.InfoIn the months leading up to the start of the World Cup, Iran's participation was uncertain owing to the conflict between Washington and Tehran. As a result of the tension, the team was forced to move its training base from the US to Mexico.Iran's next game will be against Belgium in Los Angeles.Updated: June 16, 2026, 6:33 AM