Los Angeles Stadium, which is also known as SoFi Stadium, will serve as the venue for the upcoming match between Iran and New Zealand in the 2026 World Cup. Both teams are placed in Group G, where they will compete alongside Egypt and Belgium. Follow our live blog of Iran vs. New Zealand for minute-by-minute updates!
The match will be officiated by Mexican referee Cesar Ramos. Ramos has been a full international referee for FIFA since 2014, but he originally debuted in the Mexican second division in 2008. This tournament will mark his third FIFA World Cup, having previously taken charge of three games at the 2018 edition and four games at the 2022 edition.
The full list of referees is as follows:
- Referee: Cesar Ramos (Mexico)
- Assistant Referee 1: Alberto Morin (Mexico)
- Assistant Referee 2: Marco Bisguerra (Mexico)
- 4th Official: Yusuke Araki (Japan)
- Reserve Assistant Referee: Jun Mihara (Japan)
- VAR: Erick Miranda (Mexico)
- AVARs: Swiss Fedayi San and German Bastian Dankert
Iran and New Zealand kits
For this opener, Iran will wear their home kit, while New Zealand will use their away uniform, according to the official FIFA website. Iran will take the pitch in their traditional white uniform featuring red details. Additionally, their goalkeeper will wear a light blue uniform.
Iran and New Zealand kits.
On the side of New Zealand, they will be wearing their black away uniform with small white details, and their goalkeeper will utilize an entirely magenta uniform. To avoid any confusion, the referee will be wearing a classic yellow uniform.
Iran and New Zealand eager to succeed
Iran are a regular squad from the Asian Confederation, so much so that they have qualified for four consecutive tournaments. They also had a presence in Argentina 1978, France 1998, and Germany 2006, though they were unable to advance past the first group stage. This outcome was repeated in their last three editions, and because of this, their mission is to establish themselves beyond the first round for the first time in their history.
On the other side, the All Whites have had more chances to reach the tournament. This is due to the fact that some time ago, Australia requested their transfer to the Asian Confederation. This move gave a greater opportunity to the other teams in Oceania to dream of the World Cup.
