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Iran ties New Zealand 2-2 in first World Cup match in LA
Mehdi Taremi #9 of IR Iran controls the ball against Joe Bell #6 of New Zealand during the a World Cup 2026 Group G match tonight in L.A.
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Jamie Squire
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Iran played its first World Cup match in Los Angeles Monday night against New Zealand, just one day after the U.S. and Iran announced they had come to an agreement to end the war.
After 90 minutes of play, the teams came to a 2-2 draw, with Iran coming back from a two-goal deficit.
In LA
An outsized portion of the Iranian diaspora make their homes in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Nearly 140,000 immigrants from Iran — representing more than one in three of all Iranian immigrants in the U.S. — live in the L.A. area. More than half of all Iranian immigrants to the U.S. live in California overall.
The road to L.A.
The Iranian national team arrived in L.A. on Sunday, ending months of speculation about whether they would make it to the tournament. The team's participation in the World Cup has been in question since the U.S. and Israel first bombed Iran in late February.
"I have felt the tension from the first moment we arrived at this World Cup," Iran captain Mehdi Taremi said through an interpreter at a news conference at SoFi Stadium (known as Los Angeles Stadium for the tournament) on Sunday, the Associated Press reported. "At any tournament when there is tension, we won’t have the same beautiful experience we always talk about with peace and joy."
Iran's forward Mehdi Taremi gives a press conference at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 14, 2026.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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The road to L.A.
Iran's team faced a number of obstacles to make it to Los Angeles. In March, the sports minister for Iran said the team could not participate. President Donald Trump also made conflicting comments on whether Iran should come to the U.S. to play.
The team had been scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona, but was relocated to Tijuana, Mexico. Members of the team's staff had their visas denied, and Iran fans have also had visa troubles.
“Without any doubt, this will impact negatively the spirit of football,” Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei said Sunday, per AP. “These conditions, they have impacted our technical focus, but I have really tried to make sure that my players focus on strategy and techniques.”
Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei takes part in a training session at Carson Sports Park in Carson, California on June 14, 2026.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino insisted last week that Iran's participation was never in question.
"When people were saying well, it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup, I told them and I promised them that they would come," he said at a press conference.
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Reaction in L.A.'s Iranian diaspora
Now that Iran has made it to Los Angeles, it's unclear how the team will be received. The L.A. area is home to the biggest Iranian community outside of Iran. And the diaspora's response to the team playing here in "Tehrangeles" is mixed.
People wave US and pre-revolutionary Iranian flags as they protest the Iranian regime outside of SoFi Stadium on June 7, 2026, ahead of the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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Sarah Lai
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Even with signs that the war may be coming to a close, it's been a devastating year in Iran and for Iranians abroad. Demonstrations against the government inside Iran in December and January and the killing of thousands of demonstrators there led to protests against the Iranian state in Los Angeles. Then came the war, which also brought people to the streets, but has sparked divided opinions within L.A.’s Iranian communities.
Some in Los Angeles can't separate their feelings about the government from their opinion of Iran's national team. Others say they're rooting for Iran. One thing many agree on is that there are bound to be demonstrations in and around the stadium.
There's also the question of how Iran's national team will perform, and if it can make it past the first round of the World Cup.
Game details
- Time: Tonight's game kicked off at 6 p.m.
- Where: Broadcast on TV on FOX (English) and Fox Deportes (Spanish)
- Watch parties at 6 p.m.:
- See Iran vs. New Zealand on Monday, June 15:
- MacArthur Park, 2230 W 6th St., Los Angeles
- Lanark Recreation Center, 21816 Lanark St., Canoga Park
- Northridge Recreation Center, 18300 Lemarsh St., Northridge
- See Iran vs. New Zealand on Monday, June 15:
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