The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened with a 2-2 draw between Iran and New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 15. The match drew 70,108 spectators.
The match itself
New Zealand’s Elijah Just opened the scoring in the 7th minute. Iran’s Ramin Rezaeian equalized in the 32nd minute, sending the teams into halftime level.
Just struck again in the 54th minute for his brace, only for Mohammad Mohebi to level things at 2-2 in the 64th minute. Iran pushed for a winner but couldn’t find one.
Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei was characteristically blunt in his post-match interview with FIFA TV.
