Iran-New Zealand: Group G Opening in Los Angeles

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group G match, Iran and New Zealand face each other at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Iran under Amir Ghalenoei's management is going to their seventh World Cup adventure in their history. Team Melli, by displaying an extraordinary performance in the Asian qualifiers, had secured its ticket in March 2025. Iran caught a strong form by beating Mali 2-0, Gambia 3-1 and defeating Costa Rica 5-0 in their last warm-up matches. New Zealand, on the other hand, is going to their third World Cup participation in their history; the All Whites are in the big stage for the first time since South Africa 2010. New Zealand, the leader of the Oceania region, stands out as the team with the lowest FIFA ranking in the 2026 tournament. The two teams face each other for the first time at the World Cup. The match's referee was announced as Mexican César Arturo Ramos.

Iran Predicted XI (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Alireza Beiranvand
Defence: Saeid Yousefi - Shoja Khalilzadeh - Aref Nemati - Milad Mohammadi
Midfield: Saeid Ezatolahi - Saman Ghoddos - Mohammad Mohebi
Attack line: Mehdi Ghayedi - Mehdi Taremi - Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh

New Zealand Predicted XI (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Max Crocombe
Defence: Liberato Cacace - Michael Boxall - Tyler Bindon - Tim Old
Midfield: Marko Stamenic - Marco Bell - Matthew Garbett
Attack line: Elijah Just - Sarpreet Singh
Forward: Chris Wood (C)

On the Iran side, Mehdi Taremi stands out with 105 national caps; the former Inter Milan forward is a scorer who has scored 60 goals in his national team career. Taremi served as the team's attacking leader with 10 goals and 7 assists in the qualifying campaign. Experienced goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand will wear his 82nd national jersey. Due to regional political tensions, Sardar Azmoun has been removed from the national team squad. Another important name, Belgian Dender's winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh, may not be in the first match due to his injury. On the New Zealand side, Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood is positioned as the team's captain and top scorer. Wood is a scorer who has scored 45 goals in 90 national jerseys. The 33-year-old forward returned to the pitch in April after overcoming the knee injury he experienced last season. Wood managed to score 3 goals in 15 matches at the club. New Zealand's attacking strategy is built on sending long balls to Wood.

Image: forzafootball.com