Iran’s national football team played to a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup Group G at a stadium in Los Angeles on June 15, 2026 [1]. The match saw Iran come from behind twice against the lowest-ranked team in their group, which also includes Egypt and Belgium [1, 2].

Iran’s coach Amir Ghalenoei and forward Mehdi Taremi, speaking before and after the match, emphasized their commitment to representing all Iranians amid ongoing protests and geopolitical tensions. Taremi said, “We respect all Iranians. For many years the civilized country of Iran has been a united nation. We want to showcase that unity. And we are here at the World Cup to bring joy to Iranians wherever they are” [2]. Ghalenoei added, “We are accustomed to making opportunities out of hardships. We don't think of anything other than bringing joy to our people, and we will do our utmost, and the rest is up to God, the almighty” [2]. He also said the team “won’t pay attention to any of the hype” around protests and tensions [1].

The match took place amid significant unrest. Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered outside the stadium on match day claiming the team does not represent the Iranian people [1]. Previous protests occurred in the Los Angeles area on June 14 and June 15, targeting the stadium and surrounding neighborhoods during the team’s first World Cup match [2, 3, 4, 1].

Iran’s squad faced restrictions from the US government, requiring them to leave American soil between matches and limiting some staff travel. As a result, the team stayed in Mexico during that period [2, 3, 4].

Notably, star forward Sardar Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals for Iran, was absent from the final squad [2, 3, 4]. Expectations remained low for Iran, which has never advanced beyond the World Cup group stage [2, 3, 4].

Iran arrived in Los Angeles on June 14 amid heightened security concerns due to ongoing nationwide protests and recent geopolitical strikes involving the US and Israel [2, 3, 4]. The protests in Iran began in January after a brutal crackdown that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths [2, 3, 4].

Iran’s next match in Group G is against Egypt. The team remains focused on overcoming challenges and maintaining unity on the world stage [2, 3, 4].