Los Angeles, June 15 (IANS) Iran and New Zealand are set to clash for the first time at a FIFA World Cup when they meet in the Group G opener at the Los Angeles Stadium on Tuesday.

Both dazzled in qualification, with Iran losing only one game in a 16-match saunter to what will be a seventh outing at the global showpiece. New Zealand reached a World Cup on the back of a flawless campaign in Oceania, where they won all five matches, scoring 29 goals and conceding just the once.

Iran are heading to a seventh FIFA World Cup (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026), looking to reach the knockout stage for the first time.

On the other hand, New Zealand have qualified for a third FIFA World Cup (1982, 2010, 2026). After a difficult first foray at Spain in 1982, the All Whites’ next adventure was almost 28 days later in 2010 in South Africa.

Having eased through qualification to secure the historic first direct slot available to the OFC, New Zealand are aiming to impress in North America.

How to watch Iran vs New Zealand live in India

Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 football matches will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. Subscription will be needed.

Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.

Key details

Date and kick-off time: Tuesday, June 16, 9:30 AM (IST)

Venue: Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta

Referee: Adham Mohammad Tumah Makhadmeh

Squads:

Iran-

Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand

Defenders: Daniyal Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian

Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghayedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi

Forwards: Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Shahriyar Moghanlou, Mehdi Taremi

New Zealand-

Goalkeepers: Max Crocombe, Alex Paulsen, Michael Woud

Defenders: Tyler Bindon, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Francis de Vries, Callan Elliot, Tim Payne, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Finn Surman

Midfielders: Lachlan Bayliss, Joe Bell, Eli Just, Callum McCowatt, Ben Old, Alex Rufer, Marko Stamenic, Sarpreet Singh, Ryan Thomas

Forwards: Kosta Barbarouses, Jesse Randall, Ben Waine, Chris Wood, Logan Rogerson

–IANS

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