Iranian players celebrate after Ramin Rezaeian (No.23) scoring his team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between IR Iran and New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: VCG

The highly anticipated Iranian national football team fought back twice to earn a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in its opening match of the FIFA World Cup on Monday, a result that drew widespread attention from Chinese football fans who have followed the team's difficult road toward the tournament.

New Zealand forward Elijah Just scored once in each half, but Iran responded through Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi to secure a valuable point in Los Angeles, the US. 

With the draw, every Asian Football Confederation side that has played their opening World Cup fixture remains undefeated, highlighting the rising competitiveness of Asian football on the global stage.

For Iran, however, the match was about more than football.

Months of uncertainty surrounded the team's World Cup participation amid escalating tensions between Iran and the US. Concerns over visas, security arrangements and travel logistics forced the Iranian team to abandon its original training base in Arizona, the US and relocate to Tijuana, Mexico, shortly before the tournament.

The Iranian delegation also faced entry complications, with some officials being denied visas. 

As a result, Iran initially planned to travel into the US only on matchdays before returning immediately to Mexico after a match. 

However, authorities later allowed the team to enter a day before matches and stay overnight, German media DPA reported Monday citing the Iranian football federation. 

However, Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei said after the match that his players were told they had to travel back to their Mexico training base immediately.

Iran arrived in Los Angeles on the eve of the match. Even that journey proved challenging, with striker Mehdi Taremi revealing the squad experienced significant travel delays before departure.

For many Chinese fans who watched the World Cup on Tuesday morning Beijing time, the result represented not only a positive start to their campaign, but also a reward for a team that had spent much of the build-up navigating challenges far beyond football.

"I have decided to support Iran for this World Cup after acknowledge their challenges they've encountered before the tournament," a Chinese RedNote user posted. "Maybe they will suffer defeats, but they have my full support."

Another Chinese fan also voiced her support to Iran, saying "what does not defeat you will ultimately make you stronger."

Meanwhile, outside the stadium, political tensions remained visible. 

A few hours before Monday's match between the two teams, hundreds of protesters against Iran's government waving the flag used by Iran before the 1979 Islamic revolution gathered outside the venue, multiple US media reported.

FIFA has warned that anyone carrying political flags into the stadium will risk ejection under rules that forbid any kind of political messaging on the stadium grounds.