Iran starting lineup vs New Zealand confirmed for FIFA World Cup 2026 clash

Team Melli have never lost to the All Whites.

The Iran national football team will go head-to-head against the New Zealand national football team for their opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Los Angeles Stadium will witness this interesting Group G clash.

The Amir Ghalenoei-led side are coming in after securing a 3-1 win against Gambia in their final international friendly ahead of the mega competition. They will be looking to continue their form on the world stage now. They must stay consistent throughout the game if they want to come out on top with a positive outcome.

The All Whites faced back-to-back losses in their friendly games ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. They will not be fully confident for their opening game of the flagship tournament. The experienced star Chris Wood will have an important role to play in the final third and the question will be his performance against the Iranian defence.

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Iran’s confirmed lineup for their opening World Cup game against New Zealand:

Iran (4-4-2): Alireza Beiranvand (GK); Saleh Hardani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Ali Nemati Omid Noorafkan, Milad Mohammadi; Aria Yousefi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Ghaedi; Ali Alipour, Mehdi Taremi

Substitutes: Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand, Danial Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Ramin Rezaeian, Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Shahriyar Moghanlou, Dennis Dargahi, Mehdi Torabi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mohammad Ghorbani, Hossein Kanaani, Mohammad Mohebi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh

Thoughts on the lineup

This is not going to be the easiest game for Team Melli. There will be two strikers up ahead. Ali Alipour and Mehdi Taremi will have the responsibility of firing the ball at the back of the net.

Looking to establish control of the game, Aria Yousefi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Saman Ghoddos and Mehdi Ghaedi are going to play an important role in the midfield.

Alireza Beiranvand is going to stand tall between the sticks. Saleh Hardani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Ali Nemati Omid Noorafkan and Milad Mohammadi can make a strong backline against the All Whites.

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