Updated: 2026-06-17 | Live data is subject to official announcements.
In its World Cup opener, Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand. This Group G opening match was played on June 15 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles, with each side taking a point from a four-goal tug-of-war, marking a dramatic but slightly disappointing start to Iran’s campaign this tournament-after all, the opponent was a New Zealand side ranked more than sixty places lower in the FIFA rankings.
The match was eventful from the very start. New Zealand striker Elijah Just opened the scoring in the 7th minute after combining with Chris Wood, putting Iran behind. Iran did not equalise until the 32nd minute of the first half, when Ramin Rezaeian followed up after Shahriyar Moghanloo’s shot was blocked. About ten minutes into the second half, Just struck again for his brace to restore New Zealand’s lead; but Iran refused to give up, as Rezaeian crossed from the right and Mohammad Mohebbi headed home at the near post to level the score once more. The match swung back and forth with high emotions throughout, one of the most entertaining contests of the group stage so far.
The reason this match has been described by outside observers as “politically sensitive” goes beyond the ninety minutes on the pitch. According to multiple US media outlets including CBS and NBC, Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei said after the match that the team was ordered to leave the United States immediately just a few hours after the opener and return to its training base in Mexico. Iran had originally planned to stay overnight in California to aid player recovery, but after the match everyone was told they had to board a flight at once and fly back to Tijuana, Mexico, about 140 miles away. Captain Mehdi Taremi described how this normally short journey instead took about five hours of travel and security checks. Ghalenoei did not say who issued the order to leave early, but both he and Taremi mentioned that several key members of the travelling party-including the president of Iran’s football federation, part of the coaching staff and media personnel-were unable to travel because the US side had not issued visas. Ghalenoei therefore publicly called Iran the “most suppressed” team at this World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, the first time in history three countries have jointly staged the event, with Vancouver and Toronto serving as Canada’s two host cities. Iran’s group-stage matches, however, are all scheduled at venues in the United States and Canada: besides the now-completed Los Angeles opener, Iran will next face European powerhouse Belgium in Inglewood on June 21, and meet Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Group G is made up of Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, and after the first round the four teams remain tightly bunched, with Iran’s single point leaving its path to qualification full of uncertainty.
For Canadian fans, although Iran’s matches are not held locally, they can still be followed live through broadcasts within Canada. To get the full kickoff times for Group G and the other groups, see our compiled full group-stage schedule; to find out where in Canada is most convenient to watch, you can also check the Canada viewing guide. Any changes to results, schedules or broadcast arrangements are subject to FIFA’s official announcements.
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