Preview: Iran vs. New Zealand - prediction, team news, lineups

Iran take on returning New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in their World Cup 2026 opener, aiming to get off to a positive start in Group G.

The Monday night encounter (early morning UK) marks the return of the Oceania outfit after a 16-year absence, and their form heading into the fixture does not augur well for their prospects of success.

Match preview

Iran have never advanced from the group stage of the World Cup, and their ambition to break new ground has taken a hit ahead of this summer's seventh involvement on the global stage.

A diplomatic dispute with the United States means that Team Melli face the logistical challenge of travelling into the US on matchday and leaving on the same day for all group matches, starting with Monday night's encounter with New Zealand.

While it will be interesting to see how Amir Ghalenoei's team cope under those conditions, they at least enter the competition in fine form, having won three in a row.

The team's ongoing run includes wins over Costa Rica and Mali, keeping clean sheets in the 5-0 and 2-0 wins, respectively, sandwiching a 3-1 success over Gambia.

Having secured a win each at the 2018 and 2022 finals, Iran now seek to add another to boost their prospects of reaching the round of 32 in North America.

New Zealand are returning to the global showpiece after missing three tournaments in 2014, 2018 and 2022 with Darren Bazeley's side aiming to stun a side ranked No. 20 in the world.

The All Whites, for their part, are placed 65 places lower than their top-20 opponents, highlighting the chasm between the teams, though the island country will hope to exploit their Asian opponent's logistical challenges.

However, the Oceania outfit are not in the finest fettle heading into their third World Cup appearance, with the All Whites winning twice since sealing qualification.

Those two wins came almost a year apart, with a 1-0 success over Ivory Coast in June last year then followed by a 4-1 success over Chile in March; however, those triumphs are soiled by a plethora of defeats during that period — nine losses in 11 matches — many of which have highlighted the team's issues at both ends.

New Zealand have failed to score in six of their nine defeats in the last 12 months, with the most recent disappointments coming against Haiti (4-0) and England (1-0) this month in the lead-up to the global finals.

Far from ideal preparation for their third appearance on the global stage, it will be interesting to see if the All Whites change the tide in North America with the world watching.

Iran form (all competitions):

New Zealand form (all competitions):

Team News

Iran are facing a few injury issues heading into Monday's fixture, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Dennis Eckert and Mehdi Torabi likely to miss out, while Roozbeh Cheshmi will be assessed before their opening encounter.

While those doubts remain, Mehdi Taremi enters the competition as Team Melli's star forward and the 105-cap No. 9 aims to add to his 60 national team goals.

The centre-forward is backed by a few players who have scored double figures in goals for the side, with Mohammad Mohebi, Mehdi Ghayedi and injured Jahanbakhsh scoring 14, 10 and 17 times for Iran ahead of the finals.

New Zealand's hopes rest on captain and centre-forward Chris Wood, who heads into the 2026 tournament with 45 goals in 90 caps.

The Nottingham Forest forward, however, heads into the tournament off the back of a year that saw him sustain a knee injury that kept him out for around six months before his return in April, limiting him to just three Premier League goals in 15 matches.

Only Kosta Barbarouses (10) has netted double figures in international goals for the All Whites, while Port Vale's Ben Waine needs one more to hit 10 goals for the national team.

While New Zealand do not have as many injuries as Iran, Ryan Thomas is not expected to play any part for the Oceania side in their first match.

Iran possible starting lineup:

Beiranvand; Rezaeian, Khalilzadeh, Kanaani, Hajsafi; Ezatolahi, Razzaghinia; Mohebi, Ghoddos, Ghayedi; Taremi

New Zealand possible starting lineup:

Crocombe; Payne, Surman, Boxall, Cacace; Bell, Stamenic; Just, Garbett, Singh; Wood

We say: Iran 2-0 New Zealand

While New Zealand ought to be excited about their return to the global stage, it is hard to make a case for the out-of-form All Whites to get the better of Iran on Monday.

Despite their logistical challenges, Team Melli, who feature in our World Cup betting guide, are backed to edge their opponents and put pre-World Cup issues behind them in the interim.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.