After months of uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament following the war in the Middle East, all eyes were on the Iranians as they took on the New Zealanders in Group G at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.
But despite scattered pre-match protests outside the venue, the game passed off largely without incident as Iran twice fought back from a goal down to earn a precious point in front of a 70,108-strong crowd.
Elijah Just scored twice for New Zealand with a goal in each half, but the Kiwis’ hopes of securing a first ever World Cup win ended in disappointment after goals from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi secured Iran’s point.
The pre-match build-up had been dominated by the political intrigue surrounding Iran, who were initially due to be based in Tucson, Arizona before switching their training base to Tijuana in Mexico due to ongoing tensions with co-hosts the United States over visa issues.
US authorities have refused to grant visas for several members of the Iranian delegation. (AFP)