2 min readJun 9, 2026 11:06 AM IST After a lengthy journey, when the Iran football team landed in Mexico’s Tijuana, little lapel badges — bearing the word ‘#168’ — that the players wore on their suits stood out. For, the hashtag commemorated the number of children killed at an elementary school on the first day of the US-Iran conflict, as per the Iranian foreign ministry. While FIFA has strict rules about political displays, wearing the #168 pin badge outside of a game setting is in a grey area. FIFA rules stipulate that “equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images” or players and/or the team may be sanctioned by the competition organiser or FIFA. According to a report on The Athletic, the Iran players were not sporting the badges when they left their pre-World Cup training camp in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday afternoon. The team’s plane had a refuelling stop in Spain. This is not the first time that the Iran team has raised symbols referencing the US-Iran war. …