Iran vs New Zealand, Worldcup 2026 GROUP STAGE
Overview
Match Preview
Iran vs New Zealand — Worldcup at SoFi Stadium.
- Iran 3 games · 3 pts (2026/26)
- New Zealand 3 games · 1 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Cesar Ramos
- Assistant 1 Alberto Morin (Mexico)
- Assistant 2 Marco Bisguerra (Mexico)
4 games this season
🟨 3.0/game
⚽ 10.5 goals/game
🟥 3 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | South Korea | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Czechia | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | Switzerland | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Canada | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Bosnia-Herzegovina | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | Qatar | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Brazil | 3 | 7 |
| 10 | Morocco | 3 | 7 |
| 11 | Scotland | 3 | 3 |
| 12 | Haiti | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | United States | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Australia | 3 | 4 |
| 15 | Paraguay | 3 | 4 |
| 16 | Turkey | 3 | 3 |
| 17 | Germany | 3 | 6 |
| 18 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 6 |
| 19 | Ecuador | 3 | 4 |
| 20 | Curacao | 3 | 1 |
| 21 | Netherlands | 3 | 7 |
| 22 | Japan | 3 | 5 |
| 23 | Sweden | 3 | 4 |
| 24 | Tunisia | 3 | 0 |
| 25 | Belgium | 3 | 5 |
| 26 | Egypt | 3 | 5 |
| 27 | Iran | 3 | 3 |
| 28 | New Zealand | 3 | 1 |
| 29 | Spain | 3 | 7 |
| 30 | Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 3 |
| 31 | Uruguay | 3 | 2 |
| 32 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 2 |
| 33 | France | 3 | 9 |
| 34 | Norway | 3 | 6 |
| 35 | Senegal | 3 | 3 |
| 36 | Iraq | 3 | 0 |
| 37 | Argentina | 3 | 9 |
| 38 | Austria | 3 | 4 |
| 39 | Algeria | 3 | 4 |
| 40 | Jordan | 3 | 0 |
| 41 | Colombia | 3 | 7 |
| 42 | Portugal | 3 | 5 |
| 43 | Congo DR | 3 | 4 |
| 44 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 0 |
| 45 | England | 3 | 7 |
| 46 | Croatia | 3 | 6 |
| 47 | Ghana | 3 | 4 |
| 48 | Panama | 3 | 0 |
Head-to-Head
Last 5 meetings
Recent Form
Season Stats
| Iran | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| #27 | Position | #28 |
| 3 | Points | 1 |
| 3 | Played | 3 |
| 0 / 3 / 0 | W / D / L | 0 / 1 / 2 |
| 3 | Scored | 4 |
| 3 | Conceded | 10 |
| +0 | GD | -6 |
| 1.00 | PPG | 0.33 |
| 0% | Win % | 0% |
Key Stats
100%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (1 games)
H2H (1 games)
100%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
33%
Clean Sheets
Iran this season
Iran this season
0%
Clean Sheets
New Zealand this season
New Zealand this season
Iran are 27th (3 pts). New Zealand are 28th (1 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Iran
0-15
1/2
16-30
–/–
31-45
1/–
46-60
–/1
61-75
1/–
76+
–/–
■ Scored ■ Conceded
New Zealand
0-15
2/–
16-30
–/1
31-45
–/1
46-60
1/2
61-75
–/3
76+
1/3
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Iran
| Ramin Rezaeian | 2 G | 1 A |
New Zealand
| Elijah Just | 3 G |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The wait is over. Iran get us underway at SoFi Stadium.
- 5' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 7' A stunning finish from Elijah Just — that came from absolutely nowhere!
- 12' Tyler Bindon has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 12 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 17' New Zealand is showing some good football. However, New Zealand are ready to play back every minute. It might result in some problems for the home side. The game will hardly remain goalless.
- 22' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 27' It looks like no one’s ball. Iran is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 32' Goal! Ramin Rezaeian scores his 3 goal in 10 matches.
- 37' Saeid Ezatolahi has been disciplined this evening — perhaps mindful of those 0 cards already picked up this season.
- 42' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Jesse Randall made 56 appearances and scored 5 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 46' The supporters are chanting for Medhi Ghayedi. He replaces Ariya Yousefi on 46 minute.
- 51' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 53' Iran make a change. Shahriar Moghanlou trudges off to be replaced by Ali Alipour on 53 minutes.
- 54' Brilliant from the ! Elijah Just makes it 1-2 with a superb finish on 54.
- 55' Elijah Just doubles the advantage! 1-3 and this game is slipping away from the opposition.
- 60' The travelling New Zealand supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
- 64' What a strike from Mohammad Mohebi! The score is 2-3.
- 65' Time for substitution for Iran. Saman Ghoddos is replaced by Ehsan Hajsafi.
- 68' The crowd applauds Callum McCowatt as he leaves the pitch. Ryan Thomas steps in for New Zealand.
- 73' New Zealand started playing very sharply right from the kick off. However, it slowed down the tempo rapidly by 73.
- 77' Tim Payne makes way for Callan Elliot at the 77 minute mark. A tactical switch from New Zealand.
- 80' Iran make a change. Mehdi Taremi trudges off to be replaced by Amir Hosseinzadeh on 80 minutes.
- 85' While players are taking a pause, let’s have a look at their stats. The teams met 1 times this season with New Zealand winning 0% of all matches.
- 89' It’s a booking for Iran player. Ehsan Hajsafi gets a card.
- 90' Jesse Randall is ready to make an impact after coming on for Sarpreet Singh at the 90 minute mark.
- It finishes all square. Iran and New Zealand share the spoils 2-2.
Lineups
Iran Lineups
4-4-2Starting XI
- 1
- 4
- 5
- 19
- 23
- 6
-
17
Ariya Yousefi ↓ Medhi Ghayedi 46'
-
14
Saman Ghoddos ↓ Ehsan Hajsafi 65'
- 20
- 8
- 9
Bench
- 22
- 12
- 15
-
3
Ehsan Hajsafi ↑ 65'
- 2
- 25
- 13
-
10
Medhi Ghayedi ↑ 46'
- 21
- 26
- 16
-
11
Ali Alipour ↑ 53'
- 24
-
18
Amir Hosseinzadeh ↑ 80'
- 7
Coach
Amir Ghalenoei
New Zealand Lineups
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 1
- 5
-
13
Liberato Cacace ↓ Ben Old 68'
-
2
Tim Payne ↓ Callan Elliot 77'
- 16
- 6
-
20
Callum McCowatt ↓ Ryan Thomas 68'
-
10
Sarpreet Singh ↓ Jesse Randall 90'
-
8
Marko Stamenic ↓ Tyler Bindon 90'
- 11
- 9
Bench
- 12
- 22
-
4
Tyler Bindon ↑ 90'
- 3
-
24
Callan Elliot ↑ 77'
- 15
- 26
-
19
Ben Old ↑ 68'
- 14
-
23
Ryan Thomas ↑ 68'
- 17
- 25
-
21
Jesse Randall ↑ 90'
- 18
Coach
Darren Bazeley
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Elijah Just | 2 |
| Mohammad Mohebi | 1 |
| Ramin Rezaeian | 1 |
Head to Head
Iran Form
New Zealand Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
2 / 4
2.15
Iran xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.36
New Zealand xG
I would bet for:
Over 2.5 goals 67% + Both teams to score 66%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 3.51
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 96% |
|
4% |
| ± 1.5 | 86% |
|
14% |
| ± 2.5 | 67% |
|
33% |
| ± 3.5 | 46% |
|
54% |
| ± 4.5 | 28% |
|
72% |
Double Chance
Iran or Draw
74%
Draw or New Zealand
50%
Iran or New Zealand
76%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
9.6%
2 – 1
9.1%
2 – 0
6.9%
3 – 1
6.4%
2 – 2
Actual
1 – 0
5.9%
1 – 2
5.8%
3 – 0
4.8%
3 – 2
4.4%
0 – 0
4.4%
4 – 1
3.5%
0 – 1
3.5%
Asian Handicap — Iran
| Handicap | Iran covers | Push | New Zealand covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 17% | — | 83% |
| -2 | 17% | 16% | 67% |
| -1.5 | 33% | — | 67% |
| -1 | 33% | 21% | 46% |
| -0.5 | 54% | — | 46% |
| +0.5 | 77% | — | 23% |
| +1 | 77% | 13% | 10% |
| +1.5 | 90% | — | 10% |
| +2 | 90% | 7% | 4% |
| +2.5 | 96% | — | 4% |
Clean Sheet
Iran keeps clean sheet
26%
✓
New Zealand keeps clean sheet
13%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.