The two countries are scheduled to play their World Cup opening match in Los Angeles on June 15, but Iran has threatened to boycott the group match due to the US-Israel war against Iran.
Published March 25, 2026
New Zealand soccer players say they are keen to play Iran outside the United States in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as uncertainty continues over match hosting amid geopolitical tensions.
Iran was one of the first countries to qualify for the tournament, but its participation has been in doubt since the US-Israel war against Iran broke out at the end of February.
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Team Melli is scheduled to play all three of their opening group games in the United States, including the opening game against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, but the Iranian Football Federation has threatened to boycott the games on American soil.
New Zealand is preparing as if the game against Los Angeles is going to happen, but players said Wednesday they are open to a move outside the United States if necessary.
Netherlands-based midfielder Ryan Thomas said Iran had qualified for the World Cup and the All Whites would be able to cope with the extra attention generated by the match.
“They deserve to come out as qualifiers,” he told Reuters.
“If I have to play in Mexico or Canada, yeah, I’ll play there. It’s not a big deal to me.”
During the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19, New Zealand will be based in San Diego, a southern California city just a short drive from the Mexican border.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that her country was open to hosting Iran’s World Cup matches, but that FIFA had the final say on venue changes.
Australia-based winger Kosta Barbarouses said the players would leave decisions regarding the match to “those in charge” but did not believe the substitutions would have a negative impact on New Zealand’s side.
“I don’t think it will derail our preparations at all,” he told Reuters.
“The bases are there before the first game anyway. So, yeah, I don’t see why not.”
security concerns
FIFA declined to comment on the possibility of changing the venue for the Iran match, but said it was in contact with the Iranian Football Federation and looked forward to the teams playing against each other according to the current match schedule.
Iran will play Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle during the group stage.
Barbarouses, a 36-year-old father of two, admitted he had concerns about safety for New Zealand’s match against Iran in Los Angeles, but said he trusted authorities to ensure the safety of players and their families as the All Whites played in their first World Cup since the 2010 final.
“I understand people are worried, but given the scale of the event, I would love to be there with my family,” the Western Sydney Wanderers winger said.
“I would feel relieved if they were there. I don’t think they would miss it.”
Thomas said New Zealand players would be nervous before the match, but that was normal for the opening game of a major tournament.
“Obviously there’s a lot of preparation before the first game,” said the 31-year-old.
“So it will be interesting to see how we deal with it, but I’m confident the group will be able to deal with it on the pitch.”
