Group G · Matchday 1

IranvsNew Zealand

2026-06-15·18:00 localPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Final prediction · locked 15 Jun, 22:25 UTCIran·New Zealand·Head-to-head →·
Full time · forecast gradedIran 2 2 New ZealandThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

The forecast

Match-outcome probability

  • Iran win
    57.2%
  • Draw
    25.9%
  • New Zealand win
    17.0%

A clash of identities: Iran's transition-heavy approach meets New Zealand's balanced style in a fixture the model gives to Iran at 68%.

Rank checkFIFA ranks New Zealand #86 in the world; the model ranks them #42 in this tournament field, 44 places higher than the FIFA list suggests. All 48 compared →
Likeliest score1–019.6%
First goal0-15'28.7%
Both teams score31.1%
Over 2.5 goals33.0%
Top scorerWood14.4%
Expected goals1.5 - 0.5
Loading pitch visualisation...

Why the model says this

Favoring Iran

  • ·Iran holds a significant advantage in FIFA ranking, placed 20th globally compared to New Zealand's 86th.
  • ·The Elo rating system shows Iran as the favoured side with a 175-point delta over New Zealand.
  • ·The expected goals (xG) projection for Iran is 1.5, significantly higher than New Zealand's 0.5 xG.
  • ·In two historical head-to-head encounters, Iran has secured one win (3-0) and one draw (0-0), never losing to New Zealand.

Favoring New Zealand

  • ·New Zealand achieved a 4-1 victory in their most recent fixture, demonstrating their attacking potential.
  • ·Video analysis from a previous match noted New Zealand established a lead twice, highlighting their ability to threaten the opposition's goal.
  • ·Iran's playing style indicates a low press, with a PPDA in the 8.8 percentile, which could allow New Zealand more time and space in possession.
  • ·One of the two historical head-to-head matches between these teams resulted in a 0-0 draw, indicating New Zealand's capacity to hold Iran.

What the model can't fully price

  • ·The model does not fully account for squad availability, specifically two players carrying fitness doubts across both squads, one of whom is a projected starter.
  • ·As this is 'Group G · Matchday 1', the specific tactical approaches and pressures associated with an opening group stage fixture may not be entirely captured by historical data.
  • ·The venue for this match is not specified, meaning the model cannot factor in potential home-field advantage or specific neutral ground conditions.

Form check

Iran

Steady

Iran's recent form has been inconsistent, with two wins, two draws, and two losses in their last six matches. They concluded this period with a strong 5-0 victory, but also experienced two defeats.

Their most recent match was a 5-0 win.

New Zealand

Declining

New Zealand has faced a challenging run of form, recording four losses, one draw, and one win in their last six fixtures. Their sole victory in this period was a 4-1 result in their most recent outing.

They conceded 9 goals in their last six matches.

Analysis

How it plays out

New Zealand's balanced setup will need to hold shape against Iran's direct transition game. The risk for New Zealand: getting caught between attacking and defending. New Zealand will expect to hold 44% possession. Iran need their shape to stay compact without the ball and be clinical when they win it back.

What decides it

Iran will concede possession willingly and attack in transition. Their defensive block needs to hold without fouling in dangerous areas. Chris Wood's 14.4% scoring probability is the highest in this fixture. Containing that output is Iran's primary defensive task.

Off the pitch

No major off-pitch asymmetries. This one is decided by the football.

The angle

Likely the last World Cup for Ehsan Hajsafi. Tournament experience at this level is hard to quantify but hard to replace.

Goals & scorelines

Likeliest score 1–0 (19.6%) · xG 1.5 - 0.5

Expected goals

Iran
1.53
New Zealand
0.49

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 1–0
    19.6%
  • 2–0
    15.5%
  • 0–0
    13.8%
  • 1–1
    10.6%
  • 3–0
    7.9%

From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.

Most likely half-time scorelines

  • 0–0
    36.7%
  • 1–0
    27.4%
  • 2–0
    10.7%
  • 0–1
    8.5%
  • 1–1
    7.3%

Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.

Goal totals

  • More than 0.5 goals
    86.2%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    60.7%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    33.0%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    14.8%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    5.5%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    1.8%
  • Both teams score
    31.1%

Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.

Event-typed probabilities

  • Iran clean sheetOpposing team scores zero61.1%
  • New Zealand clean sheetOpposing team scores zero21.6%

Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.

Win-margin probability

  • Iran by 4+
    4.9%
  • Iran by 3+
    14.4%
  • Iran by 2+
    34.2%
  • Iran by 1+
    62.5%
  • Draw
    26.4%
  • New Zealand by 1+
    11.1%
  • New Zealand by 2+
    2.4%
  • New Zealand by 3+
    0.4%
  • New Zealand by 4+
    <0.1%

Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.

How the match unfolds

Over 2.5 goals 33.0% · BTTS 31.1%

Game state through the match

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • Iran ahead63.1%
  • Level25.2%
  • New Zealand ahead11.7%

Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.

When the first goal arrives

  • 0–15
    28.7%
  • 15–30
    20.4%
  • 30–45
    14.6%
  • 45–60
    10.4%
  • 60–75
    7.4%
  • 75–90
    5.3%
  • No goal
    13.2%

Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.

Half-time / full-time grid

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HIran winDDrawANew Zealand win
HIran ahead41.5%3.1%0.4%
DLevel20.1%19.3%4.9%
ANew Zealand ahead1.4%3.0%6.2%

Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.

Comeback probability

  • Iran trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    4.5%
  • New Zealand trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    3.5%

Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.

Cards

  • Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
  • Total yellows over 2.567.0%
  • Total yellows over 3.545.3%
  • Total yellows over 4.526.5%
  • Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%

Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.

Teams & players

Top scorer: Wood (14.4%)

Match detail

Iran

Model-rated key players: Mehdi Taremi (FW) — P(scores) 3.2%; Mehdi Ghayedi (FW) — P(scores) 2.5%; Shahriyar Moghanlou (FW) — P(scores) 2.2%.

How they play

Iran under Amir Ghalenoei play a transition heavy game, with just 33% possession — among the lowest in the field. Their likely shape is a 4-4-2, though they have also used other. They sit deeper and pick their moments to press (PPDA 29.0) and move the ball forward quickly at 4.5 passes per attack. They are selective in their shooting (8.4 per 90).

What they must execute

Iran rely on defensive discipline and quick transitions — absorbing pressure and converting turnovers into attacking chances. Concentration and defensive organisation for full 90-minute stretches will determine whether the approach holds against top opposition. Managing minutes for Ehsan Hajsafi across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Local-league core: Only 1 of 26 predicted-squad players played in a top-5 European league last season — the rest play home or in non-top-5 leagues.
Last dance: Ehsan Hajsafi36 at kickoff with 144 caps — probably his final World Cup.
Teen starter: Kasra Taheri19 at kickoff — 2 caps — projected on the bench, the squad's youngest pick.

New Zealand

Model-rated key players: Chris Wood (FW) — P(scores) 14.4%; Ben Waine (FW) — P(scores) 5.5%; Kosta Barbarouses (FW) — P(scores) 5.5%.

How they play

Limited recent tournament data is available for New Zealand's tactical profile. Early indicators suggest a balanced approach.

What they must execute

New Zealand will need to leverage their strengths while managing the physical demands of a tournament spread across three host countries.

Storylines
Model bold: Model rates them #38 by tournament-winner probability — 48 places higher than FIFA #86.
Minutes load: XI averaged 2,624 club minutes in 2024-25 — #1 of 43 in the field. Heavy pre-tournament load on the starting eleven.
Club core: 5 of 24 predicted-squad players play their club football for Auckland FC — a single-club spine on the international side.
Set-piece outlook

New Zealand converts 6.0% from set-pieces (0.03 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.03 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.

  • P(New Zealand scores set-piece goal) 3.0%
  • P(set-piece goal in match) 3.0%
Penalty outlook

If a penalty is awarded to Iran, the model gives 73.3% conversion, 76.0% for New Zealand.

New Zealand primary PK: Chris Wood (1/1 in 2021-22, per fbref 2021 22).

Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.

Tactical forecast

Irantransition-heavy
PPDA
29.0
Possession
33%
Directness (yds/pass)
10.6
Long balls/90
46
Set-piece xG
New Zealandbalanced

Partial coverage from FotMob match stats (recent qualifiers and friendlies): possession and shot volume only. Press and build-up metrics are not available for this side.

PPDA
Possession
44%
Directness (yds/pass)
Long balls/90
Set-piece xG
6%

Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.

Squad depth

Most irreplaceable starters

Iran

  1. Mehdi TaremiStrikerCover: Ali Alipour · 0.270.39gap
  2. Alireza JahanbakhshWingerCover: Mohammad Mohebi · 0.530.30gap
  3. Hossein KanaanizadeganCentre-backCover: Ali Nemati · 0.270.22gap

New Zealand

  1. Marko StamenićCentral midfieldCover: Lachlan Bayliss · 0.000.58gap
  2. Chris WoodStrikerNo natural backup0.45gap
  3. Liberato CacaceFull-backCover: Ben Old · 0.280.26gap

Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →

Match conditions

  • AltitudeNear sea level26 m
  • Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window20.8 °C
  • Avg humidity70%
  • Heat stressShade WBGT ~22.5 °CLow heat stress
  • Pitch surfacetemporary natural grass over artificial turf

Indoor artificial-turf stadium; natural grass is grown on a drainage-tray system over the turf under the translucent roof.

Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Evening kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.

Top scorers · P(scores in this match)

Iran
New Zealand

Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.

Recent match form

Last match player ratings

Iran

vs Egypt · avg 6.4

8
Ramin RezaeianRB
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
RaminCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Mehdi GhayediAM
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
Alireza JahanbakhshRW
ATK
DEF
PAS
4
Mehdi TaremiST
ATK
DEF
PAS

New Zealand

vs Belgium · avg 6.0

7
Elijah JustLW
ATK
DEF
PAS
5
Chris WoodST
ATK
DEF
PAS

Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →

Video analysis: player performance

Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.

Iran
8
Ramin Rezaeian32'–32'

Scored a vital equalizer for Iran with a well-executed shot.

1goals

Match timeline

32'Ramin Rezaeian levelled the score for Iran.
8
Mohammad Mohebi64'–64'

Scored the second equalizer for Iran with a crucial header, completing a comeback.

1goals1headers

Match timeline

64'Mohammad Mohebbi levelled the score for Iran.
64'Mohebbi: Scored a vital header to secure Iran's second equaliser.
8
Alireza Beiranvand

Made several crucial saves that prevented New Zealand from extending their lead or scoring more goals.

1saves

Match timeline

6
Arya Yousefi

Played for 50 minutes without any notable positive or negative contributions.

6
Mehdi Ghayedi50'–50'

Came on as a substitute but did not have any notable impact on the game.

Match timeline

50'Half-time substitution: Mehdi Ghayedi replaced Arya Yousefi for Iran.
6
Saman Ghoddos65'–65'

Played for 65 minutes without any notable positive or negative contributions.

Match timeline

65'Substitution: Ehsan Hajisafi replaced Saman Ghoddos for Iran.
New Zealand
9
Elijah Just7'–54'

Scored two crucial goals, demonstrating clinical finishing and excellent positioning.

2goals

Match timeline

7'Elijah Just found the net for New Zealand.
54'Elijah Just scores his second, putting New Zealand ahead.
7
Max Crocombe

Made vital saves for New Zealand, preventing Iran from scoring more than two goals.

1saves

Match timeline

6
Tim Payne77'–77'

Played for 77 minutes without any notable positive or negative contributions.

Match timeline

77'Substitution: Callan Elliot replaced Tim Payne for New Zealand.
6
Callan Elliot77'–77'

Came on as a substitute but did not have any notable impact on the game.

Match timeline

77'Substitution: Callan Elliot replaced Tim Payne for New Zealand.
6
Jesse Randall92'–92'

Came on as a late substitute but did not have any notable impact on the game.

Match timeline

92'Substitution: Jesse Randall replaced Sarpreet Singh for New Zealand.

Match observations

  • The match was a high-energy contest, with both teams demonstrating a strong desire to attack.
  • New Zealand established a lead twice, but Iran showed resilience by equalizing on both occasions.
  • Key moments included a shot striking the post and multiple impressive saves from both goalkeepers, highlighting the competitive nature of the game.

Under the hood

Model-by-model comparison

Iran vs New Zealand

Consensus (4.2%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
62.9%
22.0%
15.1%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
63.7%
25.4%
10.9%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
62.5%
24.9%
12.7%
Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination
70.7%
24.7%
4.7%
Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration
67.8%
25.1%
7.1%
Home spread: 1.2%
Draw spread: 3.4%
Away spread: 4.2%
How each model works
Elo
Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
Dixon-Coles
A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
Hierarchical Poisson
A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
Bayesian stacking
Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
Ensemble (published)
Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.

Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology

Probability decomposition (transparency surface)

  • Baseline ensemble — P(Iran win)57.2%
  • + Lineup contribution0.0pp
  • + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
  • Published P(Iran win)57.2%
Iran
57.2%
Draw
25.9%
New Zealand
17.0%

Decomposition of the published P(Iran win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.

For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.

Head-to-head history

DateCompetitionVenueScoreResultxG
15 Jun 2026FIFA World CupNInglewood22D
12 Oct 2003FriendlyHTehran30W
12 Aug 1973FriendlyAAuckland00D

Iran vs New Zealand, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Iran's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).

Latest news & match context

Team news

No recent headlines for Iran or New Zealand.

Match conditions
Stage:
Group G · Matchday 1
Date:
15 Jun
Availability

Iran

Iran come in at close to full strength.

New Zealand

New Zealand come in at close to full strength.

What it means

Iran and New Zealand both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.

Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.

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