Iran 2026 Schedule & Game Calendar

Iran take on Group G at the 2026 World Cup

Iran arrive at the first 48-team World Cup as Asia’s AFC representative in Group G, a side with no world title behind it and a tight group to work through. The draw set Iran against Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand, each from a different confederation. Iran’s three matches run from June 15 to June 26 and split between Los Angeles and Seattle, with a leg that finishes north of the schedule’s western base.

The opener showed how open Group G could be. Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium on June 15, a four-goal night that left both teams on a point and the group wide open. From there the schedule keeps Iran in Los Angeles to face Belgium on June 21, then sends them to Seattle for Egypt on June 26. Three games, three kickoffs on the Eastern clock, two host cities.

What Iran need from the group is straightforward to lay out. Two of the four teams in every group reach the knockout rounds directly, and the eight best third-placed sides across the 12 groups also take a Round of 32 place. Finishing first is worth pursuing, because group winners get an easier seeding into the bracket. After the New Zealand draw, the Belgium and Egypt fixtures became the games that will decide whether Iran climb the group or fall into the third-place scramble.

A closer look at Iran’s three matches

Iran’s World Cup began on Monday, June 15 at 9:00 PM ET against New Zealand at Los Angeles Stadium. The 2-2 result means Iran left the opener with a point from a game that swung at both ends. A draw rather than a win keeps the pressure on, but it also kept Iran level in a group where no one has yet pulled clear.

The second game brings Belgium to Los Angeles on Sunday, June 21, a 3:00 PM ET kickoff with Iran listed as the away side. This is the toughest assignment on paper, a meeting with the group’s UEFA team, and the sort of match where a single point could prove valuable. The 48-team field has already delivered upsets, so Iran will back themselves to make it a contest rather than a formality.

Group G closes for Iran at Seattle Stadium on Friday, June 26 against Egypt, a late 11:00 PM ET start where Iran are again the visitors. By kickoff the group may be decided, or Iran’s place may come down to this game and goal difference. June 26 is the date to circle, because where Iran finish in Group G sets which half of the knockout bracket they drop into.

Kickoff slots, host cities, and the points picture for Iran

Iran’s schedule keeps things compact at the start, then stretches north. The first two games are both at Los Angeles Stadium, against New Zealand and then Belgium, before the group finale moves up to Seattle Stadium for the meeting with Egypt. Only the opener against New Zealand carries the home label for Iran; the Belgium and Egypt games both list Iran as the away side. As with every Group G team, that home-and-away tag sets the bench and the designated home support rather than the location, since all four nations are visitors in the host countries. Two stops in Los Angeles, on June 15 and June 21, followed by one in Seattle on June 26, make for an easy itinerary to plan around.

The kickoff times split between night and afternoon. The New Zealand opener and the Egypt finale are both late slots, 9:00 PM ET and 11:00 PM ET on the eastern clock, while the Belgium fixture is an afternoon 3:00 PM ET start. For followers in Iran, the time difference pushes these games well into the early hours, which is precisely the case a synced calendar is built for: it converts each kickoff into your own zone so the three different windows show up correctly without manual checking.

Should the group finish with sides tied on points, the separators run points first, then goal difference, then goals scored. That puts a premium on the scale of each Iran result, not just whether it is a win, draw, or loss. The 2-2 opener against New Zealand left goal difference even, so a decisive performance against Belgium or Egypt would both move Iran up the standings and shore up the tiebreakers. With two teams from Group G advancing automatically and the eight best third-placed sides across the 12 groups filling the remaining Round of 32 spots, Iran stay in contention even from third if the numbers fall their way.

How Iran would move through the expanded bracket

Survive Group G and the new format takes hold. The 2026 World Cup stretches to 104 matches and brings in a Round of 32 the old 32-team setup never had. Group winners and runners-up join the eight best third-placed teams, and from there the tournament is straight knockout: Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final on July 19.

Who Iran would face in that Round of 32 is not settled yet, and it cannot be until all 12 groups have played their final round. The bracket assembles from the top as group placings lock in, so Iran’s first knockout opponent only becomes clear in the last days of the group stage. You can follow every group and watch the bracket take shape on the 2026 World Cup overview.

For Iran, the knockout rounds are where this campaign would be judged. A place in the Round of 32 means little if the first elimination tie slips away, and the expanded bracket asks teams to clear one more round than at any earlier World Cup. Read every group result through that lens. The points Iran pick up in Los Angeles and Seattle are seeding for the matches that decide who advances toward the final.

Getting Iran’s schedule onto your calendar

Every Iran fixture on this page can go straight into your own calendar. Use the download button on the schedule above to pull the full set as an ICS file, a CSV spreadsheet, or a printable PDF, and take the whole campaign or just one match if that is all you want to track.

Most people reach for the ICS file. Import it into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook and Iran’s group games show up with the kickoff times already converted to your zone, along with the venue and host city. Because the feed runs on live tournament data, it keeps itself right too: if a kickoff time shifts, or once Iran’s knockout opponents are confirmed, those entries update without any action from you.

Watching more than one nation? The same downloads exist for every team at the 2026 World Cup, so you can set Iran’s fixtures next to another side and read the whole tournament off a single calendar. Block out the Group G dates first, June 15, June 21, and June 26, then let the knockout matches drop in as the bracket forms.