Iran begin their controversial World Cup campaign after months of uncertainty and turmoil as they face New Zealand in Los Angeles.
Amid the country’s ongoing conflict with the United States, Iran have seen their preparations plagued by visa issues, with numerous “integral” members of staff unable to travel, while the national team were forced to move their base to Mexico at the last minute.
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi has criticised Fifa for the impact of the war on the country’s World Cup efforts, saying that he feels like the joy of participating at the tournament has been “undermined”.
There were questions over whether Iran would even compete at this year’s finals after comments made by US president Donald Trump earlier in the year, but they are now stateside and will try and shift focus to football up against Group G opponents New Zealand, who are the competition’s lowest-ranked team.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When is Iran vs New Zealand?
Iran’s clash with New Zealand kicks off at 2am BST (6pm PT) on Tuesday 16 June at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
How can I watch it?
Fans in the UK can watch the game on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with coverage starting at 1:50am BST.
Team news
Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Dennis Eckert and Mehdi Torabi are likely to miss out for Iran due to injury, with their main threat coming through captain Taremi.
New Zealand’s hopes rest on striker Chris Wood, though Ryan Thomas is not expected to play a part in the clash.
Predicted line-ups
Iran XI: Beiranvand; Rezaeian, Khalilzadeh, Kanaani, Hajsafi; Ezatolahi, Razzaghinia; Mohebi, Ghoddos, Ghayedi; Taremi
New Zealand XI: Crocombe; Payne, Surman, Boxall, Cacace; Bell, Stamenic; Just, Garbett, Singh; Wood
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