Iran, New Zealand play to a draw in FIFA World Cup match

WASHINGTON, June 16. /TASS/. The Iranian national team tied with New Zealand 2-2 in a FIFA World Cup group stage match hosted by the US city of Inglewood.

Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi scored for Iran in the 32nd minute and the 64th, respectively. Mohebi became the first player from the Russian Premier League to score in the 2026 World Cup. There are a total of 12 players from Russian Premier League clubs on the rosters of the tournament’s participating teams. Elijah Just scored both of New Zealand's goals in the 7th and 54th minutes.

Iran and New Zealand each have one point and are in first and second place, respectively, in Group G. Earlier, in the same group, Belgium and Egypt played to a 1-1 draw. On June 21, Iran will face Belgium, and New Zealand will take on Egypt in the early morning hours of June 22.

The FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico will conclude on July 19. For the first time, 48 teams are participating in the tournament.