02:59
A number of Iranian flags can be seen in the audience – including the former flag that was officially used until the Islamic Revolution in 1979. It contains a lion and sun motif and is now considered a symbol of opposition. The Los Angeles County Supreme Court ruled just a few hours before Iran’s opening game that the ban on the historic flag at the World Cup remains in place. Nevertheless, the symbol can be seen several times in the stadium.
02:55
Extreme political explosiveness, plus an extremely important World Cup opening game for both teams – these are the two aspects that are the focus here today. The teams are now ready and enter the pitch led by the referee team.
02:52
A word about the record in direct duels: There have been two meetings between Iran and New Zealand so far, a 0-0 draw in 1973 and a 3-0 home win for Iran in front of 50,000 fans in Tehran in October 2003. The 2026 World Cup will be the first competitive duel between the two nations.
02:49
What can we expect from Iran today? After confidently bagging the World Cup qualification, they won the last three test matches before the World Cup: at the end of March, Costa Rica was defeated 5-0, at the end of May there was a 3-1 against Gambia and most recently a 2-0 against Mali. The team seems to be in shape.
02:47
The weather, which is so often discussed at this World Cup, doesn’t play a big role today – the stadium in LA has a roof. The temperatures are around 23 degrees in the early evening.
02:40
The teams are back in the dressing room 20 minutes before the start of the game. The stadium is filling up more and more while the lawn is being watered again. Soon the large flags will be rolled out on the pitch here in Los Angeles and the teams will be presented – including national anthems.
02:37
Another well-known name in the Iranian squad is Dennis Eckert Ayensa, who is officially registered with FIFA under the surname of his Iranian father Dargahi. The 29-year-old, who also once played for the German U-19 national team, recently changed associations, but has not yet played a senior international match and is currently on the bench. The attacker plays for Standard Liège, was born in Bonn and, among other things, trained as a footballer in the youth departments of 1. FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
02:29
The game’s referee is Cesar Ramos, a 42-year-old Mexican. This is his third World Cup after 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.
02:23
For New Zealand, Chris Wood is the star. Along with Tommy Smith, the team captain is the only player in the current national team squad who was part of the squad for the All Whites’ last World Cup participation in 2010 in South Africa. Back then, Wood was the youngest player and, at 18, was the youngest player in the squad. The 34-year-old plays for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and is by far his country’s record goalscorer with 45 goals.
02:20
A look at the lineups: Iran’s most famous player is Mehdi Taremi, the team’s captain. Taremi was Iran’s top goalscorer in qualifying (10 goals), also the top preparer (8 assists) and was therefore involved in over half of Iran’s 35 goals in qualifying. The Olympiacos Piraeus player has been the face of the team for years.
02:16
The first fans have arrived in the 70,000-seat stadium. The teams are already on the field and warming up. It starts here in just under three quarters of an hour!
02:15
The immediate preparation for the tournament didn’t go well for New Zealand either: there was a clear 4-0 defeat against Haiti at the beginning of June, and three days later they at least held up well against England in the 1-0 defeat.
02:10
The favorite is Iran, which is ranked 20th in the world rankings. This makes them number 2 in Asia, behind Japan (18th), but ahead of South Korea (25th) and Australia (27th). New Zealand is in position 85. No other qualified nation is placed worse than the All Whites, which is the biggest outsider in the field in terms of world rankings.
02:02
On paper, Belgium are the clear favorites in the group. Despite the rather disappointing performance against Egypt, the “Red Devils” will probably be difficult to beat, so it would be important for both teams to score here today.
01:59
In the other Group G game between Belgium and Egypt there was a 1-1 draw. So whoever wins straight away in Los Angeles will secure the lead in the table for the time being. At the expanded World Cup with 48 teams and the possibility of qualifying for the round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams in the group, a win at the start would give you the best prospects for the next round.
01:57
It is still important for the players to ignore political questions as much as possible, because: In terms of sport, there is already a lot at stake in the second game in Group G.
01:50
The Iranian association has already made the players political symbols of the tournament. 168 was a hashtag under an Instagram post about the team’s departure for the USA. The players had already worn pins with the same number when they traveled to their training camp in Mexico. It is the number of victims of an American attack on a school in Iran.
01:39
Numerous people with Iranian roots live in Los Angeles, and many of them are expected at the game. If such a flag were to be displayed in the stadium during the game against New Zealand, Iran has already publicly threatened to abandon the game. “It is FIFA’s job to separate football from politics,” said Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei at the pre-match press conference. “We are not political people.”
01:30
The Iranian team’s arrival in the city was accompanied by protests from the Iranian resistance. Demonstrators showed Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag, which was valid until 1979 and is considered a symbol of resistance against the regime in Tehran.
01:17
The question of whether and how Iran can, should and will play at the 2026 World Cup was and is therefore a defining topic of this World Cup. The topic is constantly present around the World Cup quarters, entry problems and political messages on site. And so, in addition to the sporting significance of the game, the political dimension will also be an issue today.
01:10
A game starts at 6 p.m. (local time) in the Los Angeles Stadium, which in purely sporting terms will probably not make the big headlines. Politically, however, the game is highly explosive. World Cup host USA has been waging war against Iran for months. Even though US President Donald Trump recently announced a peace agreement with Iran, the situation remains tense.