Iran vs New Zealand: World Cup team news, start, lineups and where to watch
Who: Iran vs New Zealand
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match
Where: Los Angeles Stadium, California, US
When: Monday, 6pm local time (01:00 GMT on Tuesday)
How to follow: Keep up with all updates on Al Jazeera Sport
Iran will finally take to the field for their World Cup opener on Monday after months of uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament and following the United States-Israeli attacks on their country that began in late February.
They will face New Zealand against the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East and in a region, California, that is home to the largest Iranian diaspora community outside the country, adding a charged atmosphere to a contest between two nations that have never met at the World Cup.
The All Whites are back on the biggest stage in international football for the first time since 2010 and are seeking their first-ever win at a World Cup.
Iran’s disrupted build-up
Iran is playing at the World Cup whilst the country is at war with a host nation, a situation that is unique in the tournament’s 96-year history.
The team’s World Cup preparations have been thrown into chaos with all of their matches scheduled to be played in the US.
Iran’s participation had appeared uncertain in the build-up to the tournament because of the war. They also moved their base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, leaving them to travel internationally back to the US for each of their three group-stage matches.
Reports of progress in negotiations aimed at ending the war have done little to ease tensions around the team, with Iranian soccer officials criticising FIFA after 11 members of Iran’s football federation were denied visas to travel for the tournament.
The Iran squad must also arrive in the US on the day of their matches and depart the country within 24 hours, according to widespread reporting on the team’s movements.
The mood in Los Angeles was evident during Friday’s opening ceremony at Los Angeles Stadium, when boos could be heard as the Iranian flag was carried onto the field.
Iran will learn on Monday what sort of reception awaits them when they take to the pitch, although Los Angeles and its metropolitan area are home to the largest concentration of Iranians outside of Iran.
Iran striving for the knockout stages
Whilst so much of the focus has been on Iran’s chaotic build-up to the World Cup, Team Melli have been quietly putting together a good run of results ahead of the tournament.
They have won their last three matches and were in fine form during World Cup qualifying, becoming the third team to secure their spot at the tournament back in March 2025.
Iran are appearing at their fourth successive World Cup and seventh overall. They have won a group-stage match at each of the last two tournaments, beating Morocco 1-0 in 2018 and defeating Wales 2-0 in Qatar in 2022 with two stoppage-time goals. Yet progress to the knockout phase has remained elusive.
But with a favourable group stage draw pairing them with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, Iran will be quietly confident of making it to the round of 32.
