Iran's World Cup debut comes just a day after Washington and Tehran announced a permanent deal to end their ongoing conflict. LOS ANGELES: Iran will take centre stage at the World Cup on Monday (Jun 15) after arriving in the United States following a build-up shrouded by uncertainty due to war in the Middle East. The Iranian squad, whose preparations have been dogged by political tensions and visa issues arising from the US-Israel military strikes on Iran, face New Zealand at the SoFi Stadium