Iran Draws New Zealand 2-2 in Tense World Cup Opener
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- Iran drew New Zealand 2-2 in their World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with Ramin Rezaeian scoring in the 32nd minute and assisting Mohammad Mohebbi's 64th-minute equalizer after twice erasing deficits.
- New Zealand's Elijah Just scored in the 7th and 54th minutes — both set up by captain Chris Wood — keeping the All Whites winless in World Cup history while matching their entire goal total from each of their two previous World Cup runs.
- Iran competed despite its World Cup cycle being in upheaval since the U.S. and Israel began a war against Iran on Feb. 28, and after FIFA rejected its request to relocate its three group stage matches out of the U.S.
- Iran moved its training base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, and flew into the U.S. on the day before each game before returning quickly to Mexico, playing before a strong pro-Iranian crowd at SoFi Stadium near the world's largest Iranian population outside Iran.
- Pre-1979 revolution "Lion and Sun" flags appeared inside the stadium despite FIFA's efforts to ban them, while several hundred Iranian Americans protested outside and many diaspora fans jeered and turned their backs during the national anthem — but almost all supported the players once play started.
- All four Group teams — Iran, New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt — sit level on points after Monday's results, with Iran facing Belgium on June 21 in a match that could determine whether Iran (ranked 20th, four straight World Cups without advancing past the group) finally breaks through.
Why it matters: The draw leaves all four Group teams level on points, meaning Iran's June 21 match against Belgium becomes a likely make-or-break game for a team that has never advanced past the group stage in four straight World Cups. New Zealand — the tournament's lowest-ranked team at 85th — matched its entire goal output from each of its two prior World Cup runs in a single match against a side ranked 65 places higher.
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