For a team that arrived in the United States carrying more baggage than most squads see in a lifetime, Iran couldn’t have asked for a more fitting start. Down twice. Level twice. And in the end, sharing the points with New Zealand in a 2-2 draw that had everything except a winner.
The match, played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood (rebranded Los Angeles Stadium for tournament purposes), marked Iran’s opening game of the 2026 World Cup, and it came with a backdrop unlike anything else in the tournament. Iran is taking part in this World Cup while at war with co-host nation the United States, a first in the competition’s 96-year history. The team couldn’t even base itself on US soil. Instead, Iran set up camp across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, flying in and out of America for each of their three group games and reportedly leaving the country within 24 hours of each match.
None of that seemed to affect them once the whistle blew.
New Zealand, playing in just their third World Cup and still chasing their first-ever win at the tournament, made the perfect start. In the 7th minute, Chris Wood held up a long ball and found Elijah Just, who buried a clean volley to put the All Whites ahead. It rattled Iran early, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand forced into a couple of sharp saves to keep things from getting worse.
But Team Melli settled, and Mehdi Taremi nearly leveled things himself when he struck the post. The equalizer eventually came in the 31st minute, when right-back Ramin Rezaeian made a driving run into the box and finished off a loose ball to make it 1-1. At 36 years and 86 days old, Rezaeian became Iran’s oldest-ever World Cup goal scorer, not a bad way to mark the occasion.
The sides went into the break level, but New Zealand struck again almost as soon as the second half began. Wood turned provider once more, slipping a perfectly weighted pass to Just, who slotted home his second of the night to make it 2-1 and complete his brace. For a few minutes, it looked like New Zealand might finally get that elusive World Cup win.
Iran weren’t done, though. Rezaeian, already on the scoresheet, whipped in a dangerous cross from the right, and Mohammad Mohebbi rose to head it home in the 64th minute, leveling the score at 2-2 for good. Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages. Ryan Thomas produced a goal-saving clearance off the line for New Zealand, while Wood headed narrowly off target with a late chance of his own. Beiranvand stood tall at the other end, and the match finished all square.
IRAN SCORE AGAIN!!!
Iran 2-2 New Zealand
Mohammad Mohebi scores equaliser pic.twitter.com/obHEO1ETbS— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) June 16, 2026
Statistically, it was a fairly even contest. New Zealand edged possession at 53 percent, while Iran had the edge in shots (17 to 13) and corners (4 to 1). Neither team could find that extra goal to settle it.
It capped off a strange and historic day at the tournament. Iran vs New Zealand was actually the fourth match of the day to end in a draw, alongside Spain vs Cape Verde, Belgium vs Egypt, and Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay, an oddity that hadn’t happened before at a single World Cup matchday.
For Iran, the point keeps their qualification hopes very much alive heading into their next two group games. For New Zealand, the wait for that first World Cup win goes on, but on this evidence, it won’t be a long one. Group G, it’s safe to say, just got a lot more interesting.