A positive draw in the match between Iran and New Zealand.
The first chapter of the Iranian national team's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended in an exciting draw against New Zealand with a score of 2-2, today Monday in Los Angeles, after its preparations for the global event were affected by tensions related to the American-Israeli war on Tehran.
The Iranian team fell behind early with a goal scored by Elijah Just in the seventh minute, before Ramin Rezaeian equalized in the 32nd minute.
Just returned to give the "All Whites" the lead again in the 54th minute, but Mohammad Mohbi brought "Team Melli" back into the game with an equalizing goal in the 64th minute.
The Iranian team will face its Belgian counterpart in Group G on June 21 in Los Angeles, before concluding the group stage with a match against the Egyptian team in Seattle on the 26th of the same month, noting that Egypt had drawn with Belgium 1-1.
Iran was supposed to make Tucson, Arizona, its base during the tournament, but it moved its training camp at the last minute to Tijuana, Mexico, near the U.S. border, due to ongoing tensions with the United States, one of the host countries of the World Cup, especially regarding visa procedures.
U.S. authorities refused to grant visas to about 15 members of the Iranian delegation.
Hundreds of opponents of the Islamic Republic of Iran gathered outside the stadium before the match, raising the Iranian flag that was used before the "Islamic Revolution" in 1979, which features the symbol of the lion and the sun.
A part of the Iranian diaspora abroad opposes the current regime and seeks to leverage global interest in the World Cup to remind the world of what it considers violations committed by Iranian authorities over the past decades.
FIFA had warned fans against bringing the previous Iranian flag into the stadiums, stating that doing so could lead to the bearer being expelled, under rules that prohibit raising political messages within sports facilities; however, AFP reporters noted seeing several fans wearing shirts bearing this flag or raising it in the stands.