Iran vs New Zealand 
The pick
Win, draw, and loss probabilities and expected goals are from our team-strength model. Public consensus from 3 sources: Forebet (model), Dimers (model), PredictionMarketsPicks (model).
Head to head
Expected shapes: Iran 4-2-3-1, New Zealand 4-2-3-1.
Ruled out: IRN — Sardar Azmoun
Iran Iran New ZealandKey players to watch
New Zealand Iran New Zealand New ZealandProjected XIs
Most-likely starting elevens based on recent selections.
Iran- 1A Beiranvand
- 2S Khalilzadeh
- 3M Mohammadi
- 4S Ezatolahi
- 5S Ghoddos
- 6M Hashemnejad
- 7S Hardani
- 8A Alipour
- 9M Taremi
- 10M Hosseini
- 11A Hosseinzadeh
New Zealand- 1M Crocombe
- 2B Tuiloma
- 3F Surman
- 4T Bindon
- 5F de Vries
- 6M Stamenic
- 7A Rufer
- 8E Just
- 9S Singh
- 10B Old
- 11B Waine
Storylines
World Cup 2026 Group G guide: Egypt pin hopes on Salah, Belgium look to Doku and De Bruyne
Group G guide noting neither Iran nor New Zealand has ever progressed past the World Cup group stage; Iran lean on veteran striker Mehdi Taremi while New Zealand captain Chris Wood leads the All Whites' third finals appearance.
Iran vs New Zealand: Predictions, odds, picks & stats
Match preview framing the Group G opener as a cagey, low-scoring contest between two defensive sides, with Iran's deeper squad and Taremi's threat favored to settle it.
Player ratings are EA Sports FC 26 attributes, used here as a consistent, public proxy for player quality. Squad-level comparisons cover the players we could rate; coverage varies by team.