Iran vs New Zealand: World Cup Group Stage Match Preview

Iran face New Zealand at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, on 2026-06-16 in World Cup Group Stage - 1 action. Both sides enter this opener with clean disciplinary slates and no confirmed absentees listed, and there is no indication of a 1/8 final or 1/16 final context for this fixture. Standings show Iran ranked 3rd and New Zealand 4th in Group G, both yet to play, with zero goals scored or conceded.

Iran Availability

There are no recorded injuries or suspensions for Iran in the pre-match data, and no players are flagged as doubtful or sidelined. With no missing players reported, coach selection options appear fully open across all lines, from goalkeepers such as A. Beiranvand through to attacking options including M. Taremi, M. Ghaedi, and A. Jahanbakhsh.

New Zealand Availability

Similarly, New Zealand list no players as injured, doubtful, or suspended. Key figures like C. Wood, K. Barbarouses, and B. Waine are all available, giving New Zealand their full attacking and defensive complement.

Impact Summary

With no confirmed absentees on either side and no top scorers or assist leaders provided in the statistics, neither Iran nor New Zealand suffer any measurable loss of attacking output going into this match. Both managers can rely on complete squads to shape their offensive plans.