On June 15, 2026, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood hosts the FIFA World Cup and Group G opens with Iran facing New Zealand in a match that carries the weight of two very different football stories. For New Zealand, this is history unfolding in real time — the All Whites have qualified for just their third World Cup ever, and every touch of the ball represents decades of Pacific football ambition finally given a global stage. For Iran, whose supporters travel in staggering numbers and transform any stadium into a wall of green and red, this is the rite of passage that repeats every four years but never loses its power. …