Iran's midfielders Mohammad Mohebbi, front, and Mehdi Ghayedi, back, celebrate one of their goals in their 2026 Fifa World Cup clash against New Zealand in Los Angeles Stadium.
Iran twice battled back from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw against New Zealand on Monday in a frenetic opening match of a World Cup campaign that has been utterly overshadowed by war, geopolitics, and civil unrest.
The Iranian team's very presence at the Los Angeles Stadium had long felt precarious, following months of severe military tension between their nation and the United States. At last permitted to focus on the pitch, the Team Melli players twice found themselves trailing to the tournament's lowest-ranked nation, courtesy of a clinical brace from New Zealand forward Elijah Just.
However, with a vociferously pro-Iran crowd successfully drowning out planned disruptions by anti-government demonstrators, equalisers from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi spared the Asian heavyweights any further sporting blushes.
The Iranian squad have had to navigate a exhausting gamut of obstacles before even arriving on North American soil, ranging from heavily delayed and refused US visas to a last-minute relocation of their pre-tournament training camp to Mexico.
