Iran vs New Zealand Preview

Group G’s second fixture of matchday one takes place in the early hours of Tuesday morning at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, as Iran face New Zealand following the earlier Belgium vs Egypt clash. Both sides will see this as a genuine opportunity to pick up points early, with Iran arriving in considerably better form than their opponents.

Iran come into this World Cup having won three of their last five matches and appear to be building good momentum heading into the tournament. Their most recent outing produced a 2–0 home win over Mali — a comfortable, controlled performance. Prior to that, they beat Gambia 3–1 at home in another productive display. Before that, they produced one of the standout results of any team’s preparation, winning 5–0 away in Costa Rica. Earlier in this run, they suffered a 2–1 home defeat to Nigeria, and the sequence began with a penalty shootout defeat away in Uzbekistan following a goalless draw. Three wins from five, with five goals scored in their last two matches alone, suggests Iran are peaking at the right time, with Taremi expected to lead the line as the focal point of their attack.

New Zealand, by contrast, arrive in deeply troubling form, having lost four of their last five matches. Their most recent outing ended in a 1–0 defeat away to England — a narrow loss but a defeat nonetheless. Prior to that, they were thrashed 4–0 away by Haiti, one of the heaviest defeats of their pre-tournament schedule. Before that, they did register a win, beating Chile 4–1 in an otherwise rare bright spot. Earlier in this run, they were beaten 2–0 at home by Finland, and the sequence began with a 2–0 defeat away in Ecuador. One win and four defeats, conceding nine goals across those four losses — New Zealand’s preparation has been deeply concerning, and Chris Wood’s fitness issues during his injury-hit season add a further complication for a side already short on confidence.

There is no previous meeting between these two sides on record, making this a fresh encounter with no historical context.

Iran’s superior recent form, attacking output and greater overall quality across the pitch make them clear favourites heading into this fixture. New Zealand’s defensive record in their recent defeats — conceding heavily against both Haiti and Ecuador — will be a significant concern against an Iranian attack led by Taremi and supported by Jahanbakhsh and Ghayedi. Iran will fancy their chances of taking maximum points here to build early momentum in Group G.

In Iran, the match is live on IRIB Varzesh and via beIN SPORTS CONNECT. In New Zealand, viewers can watch on TVNZ 1 and stream via TVNZ+. In the UK and Ireland, the game is available on BBC One and via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Lineups & Injuries

Iran (4-2-3-1) Beiranvand, Rezaeian, Hajisafi, Torabi, Hosseini, Ezatolahi, Cheshmi, Ghayedi, Jahanbakhsh, Mohammadi, Taremi

Iran: No injury concerns reported.

New Zealand (4-3-3) Crocombe, Cacace, Bindon, Just, Boxall, Garbett, Stamenic, Wood, Singh, Bell, Smith

New Zealand: Wood (Doubtful)

Chris Wood’s injury-affected season is the headline concern for New Zealand, though he is expected to lead the line regardless given the lack of alternatives. Iran, by contrast, report no concerns and appear to have their strongest available group to call upon.

Iran Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Iran	2 – 0	Mali	International Friendly	Jun 4, 2026
✅	Iran	3 – 1	Gambia	International Friendly	May 29, 2026
✅	Costa Rica	0 – 5	Iran	International Friendly	Mar 31, 2026
❌	Iran	1 – 2	Nigeria	International Friendly	Mar 27, 2026
❌	Uzbekistan	0 – 0	Iran	International Friendly	Nov 18, 2025

New Zealand Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	England	1 – 0	New Zealand	International Friendly	Jun 6, 2026
❌	Haiti	4 – 0	New Zealand	International Friendly	Jun 3, 2026
✅	New Zealand	4 – 1	Chile	International Friendly	Mar 30, 2026
❌	New Zealand	0 – 2	Finland	International Friendly	Mar 27, 2026
❌	Ecuador	2 – 0	New Zealand	International Friendly	Nov 19, 2025

Head to Head

No previous meetings between these two sides.

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Iran	IRIB Varzesh, beIN SPORTS CONNECT
New Zealand	TVNZ 1, TVNZ+
Great Britain	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Web
Ireland	RTE 2, BBC One, RTE Player, BBC iPlayer
USA	Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo, FOX One
Germany	ZDF, SRF zwei, MagentaTV
France	beIN Sports 1, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, myCANAL
Brazil	CazéTV
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, RDS App
Japan	DAZN Japan