New Zealand footballers have said they would be willing to play Iran outside the United States in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, as uncertainty over the fixture remains amid geopolitical tensions.
Iran was one of the first nations to qualify for the finals, but its participation has been in doubt since the US-Israel conflict with the Islamic Republic erupted in late February.
Team Melli is scheduled to play its three first-round group matches in the United States, with its first match June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, but the Iranian soccer federation has threatened to boycott matches on American soil.
New Zealand is preparing as if the Los Angeles game would go ahead, but players said Wednesday they could make a move away from the United States if necessary.
Dutch midfielder Ryan Thomas said Iran had earned their place in the World Cup and the All Whites could handle the extra attention generated by the match.
“They deserve to be there as classified,” he said. Reuters.
“If we have to play them in Mexico or Canada, then yeah, we’ll play them there. It’s really not a big deal to me.”
During the World Cup from June 11 to July 19, New Zealand will be based in the southern California city of San Diego, which is just a short drive from the Mexican border.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that her country would be open to hosting Iran’s World Cup matches, although the final say on any change of venue would be FIFA.
Australian winger Kosta Barbarouses said the players would leave it up to “the people in charge” to make a decision on the match, but did not believe a change would hurt New Zealand’s campaign.
“I don’t think this will derail our preparation at all,” he told Reuters.
“Anyway, we have a base before our first game. So yeah, I don’t see why not.”
Security concerns
FIFA declined to comment on the possibility of changing venues for the Iran games, but said it was in contact with the Iranian football federation and expected teams to compete according to the current match schedule.
Iran will also play Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle during the group stage.
Barbarouses, a 36-year-old father of two, acknowledged concerns about security during the New Zealand-Iran match in Los Angeles but said he trusted authorities to ensure the safety of players and their families as the All Whites play in their first World Cup since the 2010 final.
“I understand there will be concerns for people, but I think given the magnitude of the event, I would love to have family there,” the Western Sydney Wanderers winger said.
“I would feel safe if they were there. I don’t think they would miss it.”
Thomas said the New Zealand players’ nerves would be on edge before the match, but that was normal in any first match of a major tournament.
“There is obviously a lot of preparation before the first match,” said the 31-year-old.
“So it will be interesting to see how we deal with that, but I’m confident the group will deal with it on the field.”
