Iran vs New Zealand World Cup 2026: Time, TV Channel & How to Watch

Iran vs New Zealand at the World Cup 2026 kicks off Monday, June 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT (7:00 PM in Mexico City; 3:00 AM Tuesday in Paris) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles. This Group G Match 15 airs in the United States on FS1 in English and Telemundo/Universo in Spanish. Iran's Team Melli and New Zealand's All Whites both arrive chasing points behind group favorites Belgium — and for the enormous Iranian-American community in Los Angeles, this one feels like a home game. Here is the kickoff time, how to watch across the USA, Canada and Mexico, the full Group G schedule and what is at stake.

Iran vs New Zealand World Cup 2026: kickoff time and how to watch in the USA, Canada and Mexico

The match starts at 9:00 PM Eastern Time on Monday, June 15, which is 6:00 PM on the US West Coast — a perfect prime-time slot for fans inside SoFi Stadium and for the millions watching from home or a hotel room across North America. For the French-speaking diaspora, that translates to 3:00 AM on Tuesday in Paris (CET).

• USA: FOX Sports holds the English-language rights, with this fixture on FS1, while Telemundo and Universo carry the Spanish-language broadcast.
• Canada: Bell Media shows every match — TSN carries all 104 games in English with selected fixtures on CTV, while RDS provides French-language coverage for viewers in Quebec and beyond.
• Mexico: as a co-host nation, Mexico enjoys wide national coverage of every match, with kickoff at 7:00 PM local time in Mexico City.

If you want both the English call on FS1 and the Spanish atmosphere on Telemundo — or the French commentary from RDS — a single Q4TV subscription brings every World Cup broadcaster together in one place, in 4K Ultra HD.

Iran vs New Zealand match preview: stakes, key players and Group G context

Group G pairs Belgium and Egypt with Iran and New Zealand, and with the Red Devils the clear favorites, this opener between Team Melli and the All Whites may decide who grabs second place and a knockout berth. Under the new 48-team format, the top two from each group — plus the eight best third-placed teams — advance to the round of 32, so even a draw here carries real weight.

Iran arrive as the higher-ranked side, sitting around 20th in the FIFA rankings under coach Amir Ghalenoei. Their talisman is Mehdi Taremi, the 33-year-old Olympiacos forward with more than 100 caps heading into his third World Cup, supported by winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh and the pacey Mehdi Ghayedi. Veteran striker Sardar Azmoun was left out of the final 26-man squad, a major talking point in the build-up. Iran have qualified for seven World Cups but have never advanced beyond the group stage — and they will fancy their chances of changing that here.

New Zealand, coached by Darren Bazeley, are back on the biggest stage and hunting the first World Cup win in their history after group-stage exits in 1982 and 2010 — the latter famously as the only unbeaten team of that tournament, drawing all three matches including a 1–1 with defending champions Italy. The All Whites are captained by Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood, their all-time leading scorer, who along with Tommy Smith becomes the first New Zealander to feature at two World Cups. Organized, physical and dangerous from set pieces, the Oceania champions know that beating Iran could put their knockout dream firmly within reach.

The Tehrangeles factor: a home crowd in Los Angeles

Few World Cup matches come with a built-in home advantage quite like this. Greater Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran — around half a million people — so concentrated around the Westwood district that the area is nicknamed "Tehrangeles." Expect SoFi Stadium to roar with Iranian-American support, turning a neutral venue into something close to a Team Melli stronghold and giving this fixture an electric, unmistakably LA atmosphere.

"A higher ranking, Taremi up front and a partisan LA crowd at their backs: Iran have every reason to believe their first knockout run is finally on."

Iran's full Group G schedule at the World Cup 2026

Here is Team Melli's complete group-stage program, with kickoff times for North American viewers and the French-speaking diaspora:

• Iran vs New Zealand: Monday, June 15 — 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT / 7:00 PM Mexico City / 3:00 AM Tue Paris, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood (Los Angeles)
• Belgium vs Iran: Sunday, June 21 — 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood (Los Angeles)
• Egypt vs Iran: Friday, June 26 — 11:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT, Lumen Field, Seattle

Two of Iran's three group matches play out in Los Angeles, keeping that huge local fanbase close to the action before the campaign closes up the coast in Seattle.

Watch Iran vs New Zealand — and all 104 matches — in 4K with Q4TV

FS1 or Telemundo will get you this game, but the 2026 World Cup is a 39-day, 104-match marathon spread across overlapping kickoffs and three host nations. A Q4TV subscription brings every broadcaster — FOX, FS1, Telemundo, TSN, CTV, RDS, beIN and international feeds — into one place, with 79,000+ live channels and 249,000+ movies and series on demand, all in 4K Ultra HD on dedicated anti-buffering servers built for live sport.

Activation is instant, support is available 24/7 on Telegram, and plans start at $15 for a full month with no contract — roughly $30 covers the entire tournament. Q4TV works on Amazon Firestick, Samsung and LG Smart TVs, Apple TV, Android and iOS, with popular players like TiviMate, IBO Player Pro and IPTV Smarters. Set it up in minutes and be ready when the referee blows the first whistle at SoFi Stadium.

Iran vs New Zealand World Cup 2026 FAQ

What time is Iran vs New Zealand and what channel is it on?

Kickoff is Monday, June 15, 2026 at 9:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM PT. In the USA it airs on FS1 in English and Telemundo/Universo in Spanish; in Canada on TSN/CTV (English) and RDS (French).

Where is Iran vs New Zealand being played?

The match is at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles — a fitting venue given the large Iranian-American community across Greater LA, often called Tehrangeles.

How can I watch Iran vs New Zealand in 4K?

For every World Cup channel in one place in 4K Ultra HD, a Q4TV subscription bundles FS1, Telemundo, TSN, RDS and international feeds with reliable anti-buffering servers, so you can switch between the English, Spanish and French broadcasts in seconds.

Can Iran or New Zealand still qualify from Group G?

Yes. With Belgium favored, the top two plus the best third-placed teams advance, so a win here puts either Iran or New Zealand in strong shape to reach the round of 32.