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

* Odds from Betway, accurate at the time of writing.

Iran begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, kicking off at 03:00 CAT on Tuesday, June 16. They bring the know-how of four World Cups in a row and a stable core built around striker Mehdi Taremi, while New Zealand will sit deep and look to frustrate at their first World Cup since 2010. With Belgium the favourites in the group, both teams see second place as the realistic goal, so a good start is important. You can find all our World Cup betting tips in our dedicated section.

Iran

Iran have far more World Cup experience than their opponents here, and as I see it their stable, well-drilled team should have enough to get the win. Mehdi Taremi leads the line following his switch to Olympiacos, and captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh adds creativity out wide. Amir Ghalenoei's side will be patient, dictate the pace and count on Taremi to make the difference in the final third. I think Iran will be the more dangerous team and collect the points in a close match.

Expected Lineup: Beiranvand; Hardani, Khalilzadeh, Kanaanizadegan, Mohammadi; Ezatolahi, Ghoddos; Jahanbakhsh, Ghayedi, Mohebi; Taremi.

New Zealand

New Zealand will drop deep and make Iran fight for every yard, and I think their plan depends on staying compact and getting the ball to Chris Wood on the counter. Wood holds the All Whites’ scoring record with 45 goals and is still their best hope of finding the net, backed by the work rate of Marko Stamenic and Sarpreet Singh in the middle of the park. Darren Bazeley's team prefer to play out from the back but will be defending for long periods here. I see New Zealand holding firm and hoping to snatch something late on.

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

I see a tense, low-scoring match, with Iran's extra quality finally breaking down a deep New Zealand defence. Taremi is the most likely match winner, and a single goal might be enough. My forecast: Iran 1 New Zealand 0.

Under 2.5 Goals (1.62)

My pick is Under 2.5 Goals, as I believe two careful teams, one sitting deep and the other reluctant to commit too many players forward, point towards a close, low scoring game. Iran hardly conceded in qualifying, and New Zealand will be happy to keep things tight. At 1.62 the value lies clearly with the unders.