The World Cup programming records "Draw Day."

After a long wait, Iran played its first match in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, ending in a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday in Los Angeles; on a day that also saw draws between Spain and Cape Verde (0-0), Belgium and Egypt (1-1), and Saudi Arabia and Uruguay (1-1).

After months of uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament due to the war in the Middle East, all eyes were on the Iranians as they faced New Zealand at the Sofi Stadium.

Despite sporadic protests outside the stadium before the match, the encounter largely proceeded without significant incidents, as Iran managed to come back from behind twice to secure a valuable point in front of 70,000 spectators.

Elijah Just scored two goals for New Zealand, one in each half; however, the hopes of the "All Whites" for their first World Cup victory evaporated after Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohbi scored for Iran.

The preparations leading up to the match were overshadowed by political dimensions surrounding Iran, which was initially set to base itself in Tucson, Arizona, before moving its training camp to Tijuana, Mexico, due to ongoing tensions with the United States over visa issues.

U.S. authorities had denied visas to several members of the Iranian delegation.

Just hours before the match, hundreds of protesters against the ruling regime in Iran gathered outside the stadium to express their anger towards Tehran's leaders.

The demonstrators waved the Iranian flag that was used before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, drummed, and chanted slogans condemning the national team, which they see as a propaganda tool of the hardline Islamic Republic.

However, no significant protests against the Iranian team were recorded during the match, which received a loud welcome from the fans and enjoyed enthusiastic support throughout.

Coach Amir Ghalenoie stated that Iran is "the most persecuted team in the World Cup," after his players were informed they had to travel immediately to Mexico following their match.

Ghalenoie added: "They delayed our arrival, and they are forcing us to return early without time to recover," noting that his team had previously expected to stay in the United States until Tuesday afternoon.

For his part, striker Mehdi Taremi commented on the quick return to Tijuana, saying, "This puts a lot of pressure on the players; we do not have enough support. I think FIFA could have done a better job."