Iran and New Zealand played out an exciting 2-2 draw in their opening game of the 2026 World Cup.
New Zealand had the lead after just seven minutes, as Elijah Just linked up well with Chris Wood to open the scoring. But Iran were level by half-time, after Ramin Rezaeian reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box.
The action continued in the second half, with New Zealand’s front line combining once more for Just’s second goal. But their lead lasted just 10 minutes, with Mohammad Mohebi equalising to secure Iran a point.
In this article, we’ll cover
New Zealand’s fluid front four
New Zealand were extremely brave and aggressive with their buildup and attacking organisation.
Both full-backs pushed on to provide width, allowing the wide players to move inside. This created a narrow three behind sole striker Wood.
The first goal came from a deeper buildup scenario, with both full-backs pushed on high. The two centre-backs were split either side of the goalkeeper, while the central midfielders dropped to attack the central press.
Iran locked on with a man-to-man press, which gave New Zealand a five-on-five on the last line. The direct pass was aimed at Wood, known for his strength in the air.
The New Zealand captain was able to bring the ball down, turn and combine with Just, before any Iran player got to him. The quick combination movement continued alongside Sarpreet Singh, leading to a goal.
New Zealand’s second goal also highlighted these principles. The front four were in close proximity for quick combination play affordances.
Callum McCowatt received the ball through a diagonal entry pass from Liberato Cacace, funnelling an attack inside to the three forwards in close proximity.
A third-man combination including Singh and Just provoked a defensive behaviour from Iran left-back Milad Mohammadi. This opened space for Just to carry the ball into after receiving the pass from Singh.
Just bounced a pass off Wood to engage the nearest defender, opening up more space to get his shot away and make it 2-1.
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New Zealand rest defence tradeoff
All tactical choices have a trade off. And it’s down to the manager to navigate and adjust as they see fit.
New Zealand’s tactical trade off came in the shape of their rest defence. They were extremely brave with the number of bodies they committed in the opposition half.
The All Whites played with a narrow front four in central channels, two full-backs high and wide and one midfielder often committing slightly ahead of the other. But this meant there were gaps for Iran to hit in transition.
New Zealand looked to utilise their fluid front line to open central channels to combine. The big risk, though, was a turnover in a central area.
Iran had a number of transitions in the first half, particularly one in which Mehdi Taremi was unfortunate to hit the post at 1-0.
Iran’s right-sided saviours
Rezaeian managed to provide the true moments of quality from right-back in the game for Iran. He scored Iran’s first-half equaliser before providing the assist for Mohammad Mohebi’s goal after the break.
The Iranian right-back was often used to hold width, allowing Mohebi to drift inside and occupy the right half-space. However, for his goal, Rezaeian opted to drive inside and find a diagonal entry pass to the edge of the box.
He didn’t stop there, though. Rezaeian continued his run into the box, arriving with momentum as a first-time return pass was played. Despite the ball not being intended for him, Rezaeian’s determination to arrive with the play was rewarded, as he cleverly dispatched his chance on the bounce.
Rezaeian was heavily involved for the second goal to make it 2-2 later in the game. Here, he received a switch of play from the overloaded left side. As his side was underloded, Rezaeian was able to get the ball out of his feet to deliver a pinpoint cross. And there was Mohebi to head home, in off the post, to secure a point for Iran.
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