Iran v New Zealand: World Cup 2026 – live

⚽️ Kick-off time: 6pm local/11am AEST/2am BST/9pm EDT
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Wallchart | Mail Martin

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the World Cup match between Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium. This is one of the most highly anticipated games of the group stage even while featuring two sides that have never reached the knockouts at the tournament.

The conflict between Iran and the US-Israel has dominated the buildup to the game – and much of the tournament – with uncertainty over whether the Asian nation would even be permitted to play matches in a country with which it is at war. That’s before getting to the many disruptions that have affected the Iran player’s and team staff’s preparations, including ongoing issues over visas and entry to the US, and being based in Tijuana, Mexico, while all three of their group stage matches are fixtures north of the border.

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