As Iran’s national soccer team takes the field in the 2026 World Cup, democracy and human rights activists see more than a sporting event.
They recognize that it’s a rare opportunity to challenge the regime on a global stage, amplify the voices of brave Iranian dissidents, and expose the pressures Iranian athletes face under one of the world’s most repressive governments, according to former Iranian world champion wrestler Sardar Pashaei, now a human rights activist.
“The biggest fear people have is the regime staying in power,” Pashaei said in an interview at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. That would be disastrous for the Iranian people, but also a danger to Americans, he said. “Violence is not going to stay within the borders…. It’s about America, too. They’re sworn to target Americans wherever they are, in America or outside America.”
Iran is also cooperating with other authoritarian regimes in Russia and China as part of what’s known as the CRINK bloc, which also includes North Korea. Russia and China provide technology to help Iran target people and identify protesters and dissidents as well as train the military, he said.
“Western governments should pay attention to this and work together,” he said.
Pashaei, who is now an American citizen fighting for a democratic future for Iran, said he’s happy that the United States is hosting parts of this year’s World Cup because it won’t silence people opposed to the Iranian regime. Supporters of the Islamic republic stacked the stands at the last World Cup in 2022, and protesters calling for human rights in Iran were banned by host Qatar and FIFA, the international soccer governing body, he said.
“That won’t happen in the United States,” he said. “When you listen to the Iranian regime, they’re complaining about it…. I’m sure the regime will do everything it can to portray itself as the victim, when, in reality, it is the Iranian people who have been the victims. For that, of course, they’re going to put some pressure on, force some athletes to be part of the shows.”
Protesters are already calling for FIFA to oust the Iranian team from competition because of the regime’s human rights abuses. And Tehran was already embarrassed in March, shortly after the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began, when seven members of the women’s national soccer team sought asylum in Australia, fearing reprisals after refusing to sing their national anthem before the opening match against South Korea. Five of the players later withdrew their asylum claims, citing family pressure, and returned to Iran.
While acknowledging that some members of the men’s national team are in the regime’s pocket, Pashaei spoke of the challenges facing Iranian athletes who come from persecuted minority groups, as he does, or who oppose the regime for other reasons. One of the biggest hardships is being put on display by the leadership, he said.
“When I was 6 years old, my father was arrested and became a political prisoner,” he said. “As an athlete representing Iran, it was never easy to stand beside officials of the same regime that had imprisoned my father. For many ethnic minorities, that struggle is deeply personal.”
Pashaei is a Kurd – a member of a prominent minority group which has faced persecution in Iran – who grew up to become a national and world wrestling champion and head coach of Iran’s national wrestling team. Today, through his organization Hiwa, which means “hope” in Kurdish, he advocates for democracy, equal rights, and the inclusion of women and ethnic minorities in Iran’s future.
“It’s time for democracy,” he said. “After nearly a century of dictatorship – first under the monarchy and then under the Islamic republic – I believe Iranians deserve a democratic system that gives a voice to all citizens. Women and ethnic minorities must be part of building that future.”
Iran is a highly diverse country. Ethnic minorities – including Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Baluch, Arabs, Turkmen, and others – collectively make up nearly half of the country’s population of more than 90 million people.
“Any democratic future for Iran must reflect that diversity and ensure that all communities have a meaningful voice,” Pashaei said. “If you look inside Iran, the two groups the regime fears most are women and ethnic minorities. That is why they have often faced the greatest pressure and repression. For us, the goal is not only to end one dictatorship, but to build a democratic system that protects everyone’s rights equally.”
The 2022 death of Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, in police custody sparked nationwide “Woman Life Freedom” protests during which Iran’s security forces killed hundreds of people, blinded hundreds more, severely injured thousands, and made tens of thousands of arbitrary arrests.
Following mass demonstrations against the government in January of this year, Iran’s security forces again massacred protesters, conducted arbitrary and violent arrests, detained people including bystanders and children, and tortured those in custody, according to Human Rights Watch.
Officials also shut down access to the internet early this year, cutting off dissidents’ access to the outside world, something Pashaei said created one of the biggest challenges facing Iranian democracy advocates. While internet access was recently restored, Western governments have the technology to help Iranians stay online, he noted.
Pashaei encouraged the United States and its allies to continue to support people within Iran, including democracy activists and political prisoners; empower minorities and women; and push opposition groups operating outside Iran to unite in a way that reflects the diversity of Iran.
He said that any negotiations with the Iranian regime should not focus solely on nuclear issues. They should also include executions, protecting political prisoners, and restoring fundamental freedoms.
“The Islamic republic has two deadly weapons,” he said. “Its nuclear program and the execution of protesters. The world must confront both. If the Western countries take those away from the Iranian regime, that will give people a chance to rise up.”
The United States or European governments could also play a role in facilitating the creation of a constitution that protects everyone’s rights, he said.
“The only solution for Iran, in all its diversity, is a democratic constitution – one that ensures no one is above the law and that everyone’s rights are protected equally,” he said.
