When Iran and Nigeria face off in the FIFA World Cup on June 16, residents of both nations will be hard pressed to find a public place to watch the game, or any other World Cup match for that matter.

Iran's reasoning behind putting in place a ban on watching the World Cup matches in public places is reportedly an attempt at crowd control. Restaurants and cafes across the nation are therefore banned from airing World Cup games, even Iran's own matches.

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Iranian TV will still air the matches, but café and restaurant owners are strictly prohibited from tuning in.

The decision to put in place the ban comes a few weeks after Iran's government decided to ban women from watching the games with men in public cinemas.

The Iranian national team has qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 2006, a fact which should leave citizens of the nation more than a little excited. However, the lack of public support at home as left many wondering if Iran even believes in its own national team.

Nigeria's ban on watching World Cup matches in public is for very different reasons as Nigerian officials fear that militant groups, in particular the Boko Haram, may choose to bomb places where there are large crowds, making public gatherings for the purpose of watching the soccer games extremely dangerous.

However, for many across the nation, large, open-aired screenings of the World Cup games would have been their only means of seeing Nigeria's all-star team take to the field. The threat of terrorist attacks by the Boko Haram means that thousands will be denied the chance to witness the games being played out in real time.

The Boko Haram poses a very real threat to the distraught nation, having recently attacked and killed hundreds of villagers in a raid in the remote regions of northeast Nigeria.

Although Nigerians seem more than willing to support their team, perhaps it is better to do so in spirit only as safety measures are put in place to prevent terrorist attacks from further dampening the country's World Cup fever. 

TagsIran, Nigeria, 2014