Muscat: Iran and New Zealand played out a 2-2 draw in their Group Seven opener at the 2026 World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles: New Zealand took the lead through Elijah Just in the seventh minute, but Iran responded just before the half-hour mark through Ramin Rezaeian to level the scores in the 32nd minute.
According to Oman News Agency, Just restored New Zealand's advantage with his second goal of the match in the 54th minute, but Mehdi Mohbi struck back for Iran in the 64th minute to secure a share of the points. After the opening round of Group Seven, all four teams - New Zealand, Iran, Belgium, and Egypt - sit level on one point each.
Belgium will face Iran in the second round, while New Zealand take on Egypt.