New Zealand football is daring to dream again. The All Whites sit top of their group at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a thrilling 2-2 draw with Iran in Los Angeles, a result built on the broad shoulders of midfielder Eli Just, who became the first New Zealander to score twice in a single World Cup match.
It was the sort of night that will be replayed for years. Back at the global showpiece for the first time since 2010, and ranked 65 places below their opponents, the All Whites refused to play the part of plucky underdogs content just to be there. Instead they went toe to toe with one of Asia’s most experienced sides and came away with a point that has left Group G wide open.
Just opened the scoring inside seven minutes, lashing home a volley after captain Chris Wood nodded a floated pass into his path near the Iranian box. Iran hit back through defender Ramin Rezaeian on the half hour, but Just was not finished. Just past the hour mark he latched onto another clever lay-off from Wood and finished decisively from the edge of the area to restore New Zealand’s lead. Iran levelled again nine minutes later when Mohammad Mohebbi powered a header against the post and in, and the points were shared.
For Just, a 23-year-old plying his trade in the Scottish Premiership, it was the performance of a lifetime. He joins a short and storied list of New Zealanders to have scored at a men’s World Cup that includes Steve Sumner, Steve Wooddin, Winston Reid and Shane Smeltz, and he is now the country’s record marksman at the tournament. It was only the second time the All Whites have managed two goals in a single World Cup fixture.
Coach Darren Bazeley had been forced into changes before kick-off after an injury to midfielder Matt Garbett, handing starts to Just, Sarpreet Singh and Callum McCowatt. The reshuffle could hardly have gone better. Logan Rogerson has since been called into the squad to cover for Garbett.
The draw carries real weight because of how the rest of the group unfolded. Belgium, the seeded heavyweights and one of European football’s most talented squads, were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt in the other Group G opener. That leaves all four teams locked together on a single point with an identical goal difference of zero. New Zealand and Iran edge above Belgium and Egypt only on goals scored, two apiece against one each, which means the All Whites can genuinely claim to be sitting top of the table after the opening round.
It is a remarkable position for a side that many expected to prop up the group. New Zealand reached the United States, Canada and Mexico by way of a flawless Oceania qualifying campaign, winning all five matches, thrashing Fiji 7-0 in the semi-final and beating New Caledonia 3-0 in the final while conceding just a single goal across the whole run. Wood, the Nottingham Forest striker, finished as the leading scorer in qualifying with nine goals, five more than Just’s four, and remains the focal point of everything good the All Whites do going forward.
Now the equation is simple and intoxicating. Win their next match and the All Whites would put themselves on the brink of a place in the knockout rounds, a feat the famous 1982 and 2010 sides never managed. New Zealand face Egypt in Vancouver, with kick-off at 1pm New Zealand time on Monday, a fixture that has suddenly become one of the most important in the country’s footballing history.
Egypt arrive as a wounded animal of sorts. The Pharaohs boast one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking partnerships and will have been frustrated to drop two points against Belgium, leaving them needing a result to keep their own hopes alive. They are likely to come out swinging, which could play into the hands of a New Zealand side that has shown it can soak up pressure and strike on the counter through Wood and Just.
Bazeley, who has built a clear identity around physicality, organisation and set-piece threat since taking charge in 2023, will know his side cannot afford to sit too deep. A defeat would leave the All Whites needing to beat Belgium in their final group game to have any chance of progressing. A draw would keep their fate in their own hands. A win would be the stuff of dreams.
Whatever happens on Monday, the All Whites have already given New Zealand football a moment to savour and a player in Just who has written his name into the record books. After 16 years away from the World Cup stage, they have arrived with a swagger few saw coming. You can read more on the result from RNZ and New Zealand Football.
Do you think the All Whites can topple Egypt and reach the knockout stage for the first time? Have your say in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job π
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