World Cup 2026: New Zealand vs Iran Tips, Odds & Prediction

Odds provided by Betista

New Zealand will kick off their World Cup campaign on Tuesday, June 16 at 1pm NZST, taking on Iran at Sofi Stadium just outside of Los Angeles. The Kiwis will be searching for their first ever win at the biggest event in football, and while they’ll head in as underdogs with the football betting sites, a win or draw is certainly not out of the realms of possibility.

New Zealand

New Zealand have a relatively short history at the World Cup, having only qualified previously in 1982 and 2010. Ranked the 85^th team in the world, they are the lowest ranked team in this year’s edition of the event, but Darren Bazeley’s team is as capable a team as they’ve had at the World Cup. They’ll likely head into every game as underdogs with NZ betting sites, but with a combination of exciting young talent and seasoned veterans, they’re not to be taken lightly.

Team News: A few important Kiwis have had injuries heading to the event, with midfielders Ryan Thomas and Joe Bell nursing leg injuries, but both appear likely to be ready to go for the event.

Predicted Lineup: Paulsen; Cacace, Surman, Boxall, Payne; Stamenic, Bell; Just, Singh, Old; Wood

Iran

The Iranian team has had a lot more to deal with heading into this World Cup than they would have liked, with off-field political tensions threatening their presence at the event. Fortunately, they will still take their place at the tournament and will do so in a group that World Cup 2026 odds suggest they are very capable of advancing out of. That would be a first for this team, who despite qualifying for four of the last five World Cups, have never before advanced past the Group Stage. Led by Amir Ghalenoei and Mehdi Taremi, they’ll be eager to put the off-field turmoil aside and start this tournament on the right foot against a team that, on paper, they will feel they have covered.

Team News: Sardar Azmoun was a notable absentee from the Iranian squad, with the controversial figure being left out of the 26.

Predicted Lineup: Beiranvand; Rezaeian, Khalilzadeh, Kanaani-Zadegan, Hajsafi; Ezatolahi, Razzaghinia; Mohebbi, Ghoddos, Gayedi; Taremi

Iran and New Zealand have only a brief history against one another, but here’s what you need to know about their previous matchups and form.

• The last time they met was way back in 2003, when Iran beat the Kiwis 3-0 at the AFC-OFC Challenge.
• The Kiwis have conceded 14 goals and scored just 4 in their previous 6 World Cup matches, though the last time they qualified they had a 2-2 aggregate.
• Iran have historically struggled at the World Cup, failing to win once at their first four appearances. In both 2018 and 2022, however, they picked up a victory and fell just short of advancing out of the Group Stage.

On paper this looks like Iran’s game to lose, but expect New Zealand to maintain possession for large portions of the game, with coach Bazeley employing a possession-style of game throughout the qualifiers. The Kiwis have the talent to cause a few problems for Iran, but the offensive threats of the Iranian team are stronger than what the Kiwis have become accustomed to through qualifying, and should be able to break through the NZ defence at least once. Expect New Zealand to hang around, but in a low-scoring affair a goal may be enough for Iran to get the 3 points.

Under 2.5 Goals (1.55)

Neither of these sides are elite from an offensive firepower perspective, and with New Zealand likely to play a high-possession style in the back half, goals will be hard to come by. For more value the under 1.5 goals is also a decent chance of coming through, but 2.5 goals definitely looks safe.