Tweeting the World Cup: Iranian-American shares Iran's World Cup with the world

Iranians love their football. There's no doubt about that.

And this World Cup they have reason to cheer - it's the fourth time the Iranian national team fondly known as Team Melli has qualified, giving Iranians a chance to wear their heart on their sleeves (and faces).

That is precisely what drove Iranian-American Negar Mortazavi to hop onto a plane to Brazil. Mortazavi, a freelance writer based in Washington D.C., wasn't much of a football fan, but the buzz around the World Cup and the opportunity to showcase another side of Iranians fascinated her. However, with no means to fund her trip, she did what anyone in this digitial age would, and set up a Kickstarter campaign to rally in contributions, promising to follow Iran's bout in Brazil like no one else.

[Related: Iran World Cup a closed-doors affair]

To her surprise, her trip was funded in a day. And before she knew it she was on a plane to Brazil, joined by a host of other Persian fans.

TWITTER WORLD CUP

And she has delivered on her promise, keeping her 33,000 plus twitter followers up to date by sharing every moment of her time following the Iranian football team and the fans that have flown in from around the world to see them.

"For Iranians, after a few years of isolation and mostly bad news in the international media, these events are a great chance to be seen positively by the world and in the news. That side of the story fascinates me," she explained.

For her, this event is about more than just what happens on the pitch.

"I am fascinated by the human stories that happen during these big international sports events and the unity that it has created among various groups within the Iranian society."

Mortazavi was born and raised in Tehran but moved to the States in 2002. Her family remains in Iran, but she hasn't visited since 2009. She sees this World Cup as an opportunity to connect with her home country and has focused on the people around her - and like her - who have flown in to support the team.

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"There are children who grew up in all these diasporas abroad and are now getting connected to their roots through football. The presence of all these diverse Iranians in one place fascinates me."

"I saw a few groups of fathers and sons who came from far away, different places. They seemed to bond in a unique way that they probably would never get the chance to,  if it wasn't for the sport."

IRAN UNITED

And what she has seen has not disappointed.

Thousands of fans, men and women, young and old, some born in Iran, others not, all with their faces proudly painted in red, white and green, gathered in Brazil. They waited outside the hotel to welcome the team and packed into the stadium to watch them play, all while waving the Iranian flag and wearing their Persian pride high.

"The opening match was an experience like no other, with thousands coming together for just one single goal. One goal."

Despite a 0-0 draw against Nigeria, the Iranian audience were pleased, she said. "Everyone I spoke with was happy with the strong defense. They said it was obvious that the coach put a lot of focus there."

In their second outing against favourites Argentina, Iran stunned viewers with their stellar defense once again, succumbing only in the final minutes to Messi's magic. But Iranians saw that as a reason to celebrate as well, taking to the streets in Brazil and Tehran.

Team Melli plays their final group stage game against Bosnia-Herzogivna on Wednesday.

"That game is going to be a historic one now. Iran has only had one win in the entire history of its World Cup presence, "

As always, she'll be tweeting and like the rest of the world, we'll be watching.

 [Related: Queiroz points finger at referee after Messi magic breaks Iran hearts]