All Whites open World Cup against Iran, 16 years in the making

New Zealand face Iran in their World Cup opener today. It is the All Whites' first World Cup match in 16 years, and the first chance to chase what has always slipped away: a win at the tournament. The 2010 campaign brought three draws and no victories. This group gets its shot now.

Ryan Thomas captains the side at 31, making his World Cup debut. Marko Stamenic carries his own fire into the match, driven by the memory of his late father. The squad knows the story, a rugby nation where football fights for oxygen, but a generation that wants to change that.

The group stage holds another piece of history later: the first World Cup meeting between an OFC nation and a CAF opponent when New Zealand meet Egypt.

Fan reactions

New Zealand may be under the radar globally, but Elijah Just's two-goal debut against Norway has not gone unnoticed. Reddit users are already connecting his feat to the tournament's broader scoring trends, with one noting Haaland matched the same debut double a day later, after Just, Yasin Ayari, and Folarin Balogun had all done it this week. Read more