Set to clash for the first time at a FIFA World Cup, Iran and New Zealand tussle in this Group G opener in the city of angels.
Group G
Tuesday, 16 June | Los Angeles Stadium
Kick-off time
09:00 (GMT+8)
The match
This is the first time that this pair will have featured in the same edition of a FIFA World Cup™ and thus their first meeting on the sport’s grandest stage. Both dazzled in qualification, with Iran losing only one game in a 16-match saunter to what will be a seventh outing at the global showpiece. New Zealand reached a third finals on the back of a flawless campaign in Oceania where they won all five matches, scoring 29 goals and conceding just the once.
Possible Iran starting XI
Beiranvand; Yousefi/Hardani, Hossein Kanani/Nemati, Khalilzadeh, Mohammadi; Jahanbakhsh/Gholizadeh, Ezatolahi, Ghoddos, Mohebi; Ghayedi, Taremi.
Possible New Zealand starting XI
Crocombe/Paulsen; Payne, Bindon, Surman, Cacace; Stamenic, Bell; Just, Singh, Randall; Wood.
What they said…
“We’ve had a good build-up. We’re excited. We’ve waited a long time to be here… to come back to a World Cup. We’ve been preparing for a few years now, all the players are in a good space and we’re excited to get going. We’ve been watching a lot of games on television and we’re raring to go.” Darren Bazeley, New Zealand coach
“It’s a joy to be here and we’re looking forward to the challenge ahead. We know a lot about Iran, we’ve studied them and taken on board what they are able to do. We know they are a very good side… and what we’re going to come up against and we’ll try and find their weaknesses and exploit them and hopefully come out on top.” Chris Wood, New Zealand captain
“All teams present here are among the very best in their regions, whatever continent they’re from, New Zealand is no exception to that rule. We’ve analysed their games. They have many players who are playing abroad in different countries. We know that it’s a very dangerous team. And whether it be defensively or offensively, they play very well. We’ve seen the results, sometimes the unexpected happens.” Amir Ghalenoei, Iran coach
“We are playing an excellent New Zealand team tomorrow and I very much hope it’s going to be a good game. We will make sure that we play a beautiful game for all the spectators and I hope New Zealand will have the same attitude. I look forward to tomorrow.” Mehdi Taremi, Iran striker
Los Angeles Stadium
Los Angeles Stadium is the newest venue chosen to host FIFA World Cup 2026, having opened in September 2020. It is situated just a 30-minute drive from Pasadena’s famous Rose Bowl, which hosted the World Cup final of 1994.
Both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play their NFL fixtures at the venue and it has also hosted concerts from the likes of Taylor Swift, BTS and Ed Sheeran.