Iran vs New Zealand: Result, Stats & Predictions (World Cup 2026)
Iran and New Zealand shared a thrilling 2-2 draw at SoFi Stadium — Elijah Just scored twice for the All Whites in a match full of records.
15 June 2026
Result
Iran 2-2 New Zealand — Group G, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, 15 June 2026.
New Zealand went ahead twice and Iran came back twice in a pulsating Group G opener. Elijah Just scored in the 7th minute, Ramin Rezaeian equalised for Iran in the 32nd. Just completed his brace in the 54th minute to restore New Zealand's lead, but Mohammad Mohebbi headed in from Rezaeian's cross in the 64th to make it 2-2. The All Whites, back at a World Cup for the first time in 16 years, had enough to win but could not hold their lead either time.
What it means for Last Man Standing pools
Iran were the typical LMS pick in this Group G fixture — ranked 65 places above New Zealand, rated favourites, and playing a side who came in off a 4-0 warm-up defeat to Haiti. Anyone who backed Iran will be relieved to at least have a point, but the goal Iran conceded twice suggests they are not the defensive unit some predicted. New Zealand, meanwhile, are the kind of team pool players ignore — but a brace from a Motherwell midfielder at the World Cup is not what the form book suggested.
Pre-match forecasts
Iran were modest favourites before kickoff, with pre-match implied probability placing them at roughly 50% to win, New Zealand at around 20%, and a draw at 30%. Iran were priced around -130 on major exchanges. The expectation was a controlled Iranian win against a New Zealand side that had struggled in warm-ups and not appeared at a World Cup since 2010. The 2-2 scoreline — with four goals in a game forecast to be tight — surprised most forecasters and all 2.5-goal under backers.
Standout stats
Elijah Just became the first Motherwell player ever to score at a men's FIFA World Cup — and the first New Zealand player to score more than once in a single World Cup match, per tournament records. Chris Wood, who assisted both of Just's goals, became the first New Zealand player to provide multiple assists in a World Cup game. Together, they are the only player-provider pairing in New Zealand's World Cup history to combine twice in the same match.
Ramin Rezaeian delivered an equally historic individual display on the other side: he became the first Iranian player to score and assist in the same FIFA World Cup match, per FIFA match data. His brace of contributions — equalising in the first half and crossing for the leveller in the second — gave Iran a point their second-half defending barely deserved. Four goals in Los Angeles, four records broken. This group is wide open.
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