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Uncertainty has clouded the All Whites and Team Melli’s group stage opener to be held in Los Angeles on 15 JuneNew Zealand will play their first World Cup game in 16 years with much of the planet watching what is surely the biggest event of the group stage. But little attention will be on whether New Zealand can record their first World Cup win with Iran their opposition on 15 June. As well as all the headlines and anticipation, the global spotlight adds an extra layer to the challenge for New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley and his team.Ever since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, there has been uncertainty surrounding this World Cup fixture in Los Angeles.There were conflicting signals whether the Islamic Republic of Iran would allow the national football team to travel to the home of its attacker, and whether the US would welcome Team Melli. With kick-off now weeks away, it appears the game will go ahead as planned. Still, there is the possibility of protests by the large local Iranian population in “Tehrangeles”, many of whom fled the 1979 revolution, and acts of defiance by players. It’s more than a football story.New Zealand, who also face Egypt and Belgium in their group, are very much the supporting cast in this drama. It is an unusual situation for any team to be in but that has been the case for the past three months with Bazeley never quite sure who the opposition would be for New Zealand’s biggest game since 2010.“Right now we’re still continuing as though we’re playing Iran,” Bazeley said in March. “They’re the team that qualified and we got drawn against them. That’s still the fixture and until we get told otherwise, we’ll ‌continue ⁠with that preparation. Obviously, if things change, then we’ll deal with that.”Nothing has changed yet despite Iran’s request that the game be switched to a different country, leading to the prospect of New Zealand having to play in Mexico before heading to Vancouver for their final two group games. Fifa did not agree to that but have given the go ahead for Iran to switch their training camp from Arizona to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.So, as it stands, it is Iran in LA. If that question is almost answered, then it now remains to be seen what kind of mental and physical condition Iran is in. There has been no domestic league action since the war in Iran started. Team Melli played two games in March behind closed doors – a 2-1 loss to Nigeria and then a 5-0 victory over Costa Rica. The players sang the national anthem with varying degrees of enthusiasm. There is little doubt that they are under considerable pressure.Amid all this uncertainty, the All Whites (official nickname of the New Zealand team) have a game to prepare for but their World Cup opener may not be as difficult as some think, according to Jahanyar Mohebbi, former assistant at Persian Gulf Pro League team Foolad FC.“Coach Amir Ghalenoei and his [Iran] staff will not change a lot, there will not be surprises,” Mohebbi, now with Chinese champions Shanghai Port, told the Guardian. “Iran are not an easy nation to play against … Iranian players are absolutely physical, always play direct. New Zealand will face a team that will be set in a low block and will try to get behind you on the counterattack.”Mohebbi has seen how Uzbekistan, who have developed quite a rivalry with Iran on the pitch in recent years, have learned to deal with the threat. In the last six meetings, Team Melli have failed to defeat the central Asians. “Look at how Uzbekistan play against Iran and deal with the long balls and set pieces,” he said. “It will be similar.”There are other issues for Iran. Many of the players haven’t played a competitive game for months. “New Zealand have players in Europe at a high level and if they can put Iran under pressure, if there is intensity and pressing, the Iranian team can struggle,” said Mohebbi.And then there is the politics. Sardar Azmoun was left out of the squad after posting social media messages that did not go down well in Tehran. Other members of the team have reportedly been pushing for the inclusion of the former Roma and Bayer Leverkusen striker but as things stand, Azmoun remains on the outer. It all adds to the chaos. “There are a lot of things going on that are not under the control of the coaching staff,” said Mohebbi.New Zealand will share the pitch and some of the global spotlight in Los Angeles in what should be an unforgettable occasion no matter the final score.

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Tim Payne identified as least-known player by Argentinian influencerCampaign launched to make defender a ‘hero’ before tournamentNew Zealand defender Tim Payne has become an unlikely star after an influencer from Argentina called on his followers to unite and make the little-known 32-year-old a “hero” of the upcoming World Cup.El Scarso, a football influencer also known as Valen Scarsini, identified Payne as the least-known player at the World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico based on his small social media following.Payne had around 4,700 followers on Instagram earlier this week. After being singled out by El Scarso that number has risen at a rate of almost 1,000 per minute to more than a million by Friday.Payne’s following is now six times greater than New Zealand’s captain and best-known player, Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood.“There are only a few days left before the World Cup starts and we are all waiting to cheer for our national team, but what if there was a player who united us all, a footballer we all support regardless of their nationality?” Scarsini said.“I searched through all the national teams playing in the World Cup for the least known one and after analysing them one by one I found him. In group G, in New Zealand, there is Tim Payne. He really is the least known. He doesn’t even have 5,000 followers.”Scarsini, who has more than 500,000 followers, implored his base to “start mentioning Tim Payne everywhere.”“We have to start making videos feeding the legend of Tim Payne. If you have the World Cup [sticker] album, upload a photo with his sticker. The goal is to see how many people know Tim Payne before the World Cup starts.”Now there is even a song supporting Payne, who recently made his 50th appearance for New Zealand after making his debut at 18.The chorus, in Spanish, says “I’ve got his back. I cheer him on. I’ve been rooting for him from the beginning. Tim Payne, from cradle to grave. You’re a crack. I cheer you on, every step.” It continues, “no Payne, no gain.”Payne, who plays his club football for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Men, responded Friday to his new-found social media fandom.“Was wondering why my socials were blowing up and found your post, man,” he said. “Appreciate the love! Gracias, hermano.“I just want to say a massive thank you first to you Valen. It’s been a pretty crazy 48 hours to say the least. I just wanted to also express that I’m very grateful to be representing my country and I appreciate all the love from all around the world.”New Zealand are playing at the World Cup for the third time after qualifying in 1982 and 2010. They have yet to win a match. The national team, known as the All Whites, is in Group G with Belgium, Iran and Egypt.

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Switzerland have never reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. Photograph: Laurent Gilliéron/EPAGranit Xhaka and his teammates enter with high expectations after a smooth route through qualifyingThis article is part of the Guardian’s 2026 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 48 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from three countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 11 June.This is the sixth time in a row Switzerland have qualified for the World Cup and they will fly out to the US west coast on Tuesday with high expectations, setting up base in San Diego. “We want to play the best World Cup seen from a Swiss team,” the coach, Murat Yakin, told Blick. “The feeling that we could have reached the final of the last Euros [they lost on penalties to England in the quarter-finals] gives us something to dream about.”Switzerland have never got past the quarter-finals at the World Cup, last reaching that stage on home soil in 1954. Since then, their adventures have typically ended in the last 16, as was the case in 2022 in Doha when they lost 6-1 to Portugal.However, there are many reasons why Swiss fans can approach the tournament with hope and anticipation. The team were very comfortable in qualifying, finishing top of their group ahead of Kosovo, Slovenia and Sweden, winning four games and drawing two.There is a good mix in the squad between the elder statesmen – such as Granit Xhaka, Manuel Akanji and Ricardo Rodriguez – and a younger generation represented by Dan Ndoye, Fabian Rieder and Johan Manzambi among others. Moreover, the Nati have so far avoided injuries with the Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni seemingly winning his battle to get back after an anterior cruciate ligament injury.Noah Okafor is back too, having been sidelined after a poor Euro 2024, where he responded badly to not playing before launching a public dig at Yakin when left out from subsequent squads. The Leeds forward has apologised to the coach and the rest of the squad and is in the form of his life. “We’ve both done the right thing. His development has been very positive; he could be a key player at the World Cup,” Yakin said.Yakin’s preferred system is a 4-2-3-1, though he has recently been flirting with 3-4-3 and Denis Zakaria at right wing-back. It was this formation that took them to the last eight at the Euros.Murat Yakin. His standing has never been higher and the defender Rodriguez is one of those impressed. “Murat is doing a really good job,” he said. “Over the years, he’s become even more open and communicative with us. He talks to us a lot, asks for our opinions from time to time and listens to us. He’s really brilliant at that.”Yakin’s appointment as Vladimir Petkovic’s successor, in August 2021, came as a surprise given he was in charge of second-tier FC Schaffhausen at the time and there have been sticky periods, such as the loss to Portugal and weak performances in the buildup to Euro 2024, when he was publicly criticised by Xhaka. After the positive tournament, however, he extended his contract to 2028.The captain, Granit Xhaka, remains the team’s most important player at the age of 33. He is the linchpin of Switzerland’s buildup play, dictating the tempo and ensuring a balance between defence and attack. This will probably be the last World Cup for Switzerland’s record appearance-maker, but he could well continue his international career after the tournament. He has followed up two outstanding years at Bayer Leverkusen with an equally impressive one for Sunderland, the Premier League newcomers who secured Europa League football on the last day of the season. Xhaka, as he says, is like a good red wine: the older, the better.Johan Manzambi. The Geneva-born midfielder’s impressive season at Freiburg has not gone unnoticed with Europe’s top clubs monitoring the all-rounder. Hardly a week goes by without a new rumour surfacing about where Switzerland’s biggest talent will play next. He could become the most expensive Swiss transfer after the World Cup, beating the €45m Arsenal paid Borussia Mönchengladbach for Xhaka in 2016. His versatility helps as he is able to play as a No 6, No 8, No 10 or even up front. For the national team he is not yet a regular starter, but is often brought on in a wide position. Yakin has said Manzambi can be a “secret weapon” in North America, adding: “His development is really impressive. When he was first called up to the national team last summer we realised straight away the incredible potential he has.”Remo Freuler. The Zurich native had to work hard to get to the top, having once been told he was not good enough for Grasshoppers, which led to a move to second-tier Winterthur. His move from Luzern to Serie A and Atalanta in 2016 took many by surprise, but he settled in Italy and became increasingly important for the national team as well. Having fought his way into the starting lineup after the 2018 World Cup he is now indispensable and perfectly complements the playmaker Xhaka in midfield. The 34-year-old excels through his running capacity, his strength in one-on-one situations and his footballing intelligence – and even scores the odd important goal from time to time.Swiss supporters usually turn out in droves for major tournaments and the fan marches at Euro 2024 in Germany are still fresh in memory. Then, more than 10,000 turned the cities red and white. That, sadly, will not happen this time. Only about 500 have tickets for the group games through the Swiss FA and about 2,000 for the knockout stages. As was the case four years ago in Qatar, the political situation is stopping some from making the trip and it is compounded by the high costs of flights, accommodation and travel. Their favourite song is “Schwiizer Nati, olé olé” and the fans have come up with a chant for striker Breel Embolo to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight.Do not expect any player to comment on the US president or the political situation. The Swiss FA president, Peter Knäbel, said at the end of 2025: “We will ensure again this year that the team can and will focus 100% on the sport. If an issue directly affects our values as an association, we will – as we have done in the past – take a clear stand.” The US and Switzerland have been involved in tense trade discussions in recent months with Donald Trump hitting out in April. “Switzerland presents itself as a ‘small and brilliant’ country,” he told CNBC. “They’re brilliant because they pay us almost nothing. Now they pay a little bit. They should pay much more.”Written by Christian Finkbeiner for Blick