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The talents of Mehdi Taremi have taken him to Porto, Inter and now Olympiakos. He scored both goals against England in Qatar. Fellow striker Sardar Azmoun has been dropped for political reasons, putting even more pressure on Taremi.

Dennis Eckert – or Dennis Dargahi as his name appears on his brand-new Iranian passport – is a versatile German-born forward who was uncapped when the squad was announced.

Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered concussion after 24 minutes of their opener against England four years ago. It was 0-0 at the time; they lost 6-2. He's Iran's undisputed No.1.

• Want to know more about Iran? Read our comprehensive guide here

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The final game of matchday five sees Asia's second-highest ranked nation Iran, take on the lowest ranked team of the competition New Zealand.

Iran's inclusion at this year's World Cup had been a doubt all year due to the war and unrest between them and host USA, and despite President Trump saying Iran shouldn't participate "for their own life and safety", they've shown up for the tournament they qualified for and can finally put their football in the headlines.

They look to reach the knockouts for the first time, and perhaps through national icon Mehdi Taremi, who is a reliable source of goals and will also link the play. Much rests on his shoulders, although they will hope to profit from having plenty of height in the team when it comes to attacking set-pieces.

A small clutch of players have top-five European league experience.

While 85th ranked New Zealand return to the big stage following a 16-year absence. They dominated possession against Oceania's minnows in qualifying but they've adopted a more defensive approach in recent friendlies, recognising their limitations while still looking dangerous on the break.

Their fit-again captain, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, is likely to play a pivotal role. Wood is one of only two players in the squad with World Cup experience, the other being 36-year-old defender Tommy Smith, who was relegated from the National League with Braintree Town this season.

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Rarely has a team arrived at a World Cup carrying as much political baggage as Iran, writes Shaimaa Khalil.

Until this week, the host nation, the United States, had been at war with the country.

The team has faced visa problems. They have had to relocate their base camp. And when they take to the pitch here in Los Angeles on Monday (Tuesday, 02:00 BST), they will do so under the gaze of one of the world's largest Iranian diasporas.

An agreement to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was announced on Sunday. It may have eased fears of further escalation, but tensions remain high.

"This kind of tension undermines the joy of the World Cup," said striker Mehdi Taremi.

"I felt the tension from the first moment we arrived. The tension started even before we got here."

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Right back Saud Abdulhamid won the French Cup with Lens this season and is the only member of the Saudi squad based abroad. Having played every minute of their 2022 World Cup campaign, he will be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Musab Al Juwayr is an exciting young playmaker who proved his worth in qualifying, providing the most assists (3). The 22-year-old is likely to be a mainstay in this side for years to come.

Salem Al Dawsari will always be remembered for his stunning winner against Argentina four years ago. Saudi Arabia's captain is a two-time Asian Player of the Year and remains one of the biggest draws in the star-studded Saudi Pro League.

• Want to know more about Saudi Arabia? Read our comprehensive guide here

For those of you that are eager to impress your group chat, I have a great stat for you ...

This is the first Uruguay World Cup squad not to include a domestic-based player.

The previous 14 have all included at least one from the Uruguayan top flight.

And if you wanted to quiz your mates on which three Nacional players former head coach Diego Alonso selected for the 2022 World Cup, the answer is; Jose Luis Rodriguez, Sergio Rochet and a 35-year-old Luis Suarez.

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Maxi Araujo plays as a left-back for Portuguese side Sporting but he is employed as a left winger in this team. The 26-year-old pitched in with four assists during qualifying and only Colombia's James Rodríguez, with seven, provided more.

Real Madrid's swashbuckling allrounder Federico Valverde is integral to his country's chances of success. His Real team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold says he's "the most underrated player on the planet", but Uruguayans know all about their captain's star quality.

Former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is unpredictable, unorthodox and often not very prolific, but the willing runner will attempt to provide Uruguay's main goal threat and is the only player to reach double figures during Bielsa's 34-game reign.

• Want to know more about Uruguay? Read our comprehensive guide here

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Saudi Arabia will look to reach the knockouts for the first time since 1994 - when the tournament was last hosted by USA - with an opening win against two-time champions Uruguay.

But it's perhaps a story of two head coaches. Saudi Arabia appointed former Greek international Georgios Donis - who had been managing Al Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League - just 59 days ago to replace Herve Renard after a 4-0 home defeat to Egypt in late March.

Donis's Al Khaleej side scored freely in the Saudi top flight this season and he will bring a more attacking approach to the national team.

His first match in charge on 31 May was a narrow 2-1 defeat to Ecuador, but Saudi Arabia had more shots (12), more possession and attempted more forward passes than their opponents.

While Uruguay's fracturing relationship with boss Marcelo Bielsa is a worry for supporters. Public spats and in-fighting were in the end the hallmarks of a qualification campaign which started so brightly for the Uruguayans with historic wins over Brazil and Argentina.

The Argentine never deviates from his footballing principles and will set up his side to attack and press from the front. As a result, they recorded 147 high turnovers during qualifying, 26 more than any other South American nation.

Bielsa has battled on in the job but it remains to be seen which players, if any, still buy into his methods.

We have three World Cup matches kicking off this evening before midnight.

Saudi Arabia take on two-time winners Uruguay in Miami at 23:00 BST.

The Saudis provided one of the shocks of the Qatar World Cup by beating eventual champions Argentina in their opening game and get their campaign off against another South American heavyweight tonight.

Uruguay, meanwhile, will be hoping to be the first South American side to win a game at this World Cup...

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After Mohamed Salah had the season of his life in 2024-25 – 29 goals and 18 assists in Liverpool's title win – the forward struggled for much of this season.

He's now left the Reds and will be desperate to show he is still an elite operator before his next chapter.

Goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy impressed at the 2018 World Cup but had a turbulent end to the season after he was given a four-game ban for striking a referee. The goalkeeper will need to keep a cooler head this summer.

The arrivals of Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki meant limited opportunities for Omar Marmoush at Manchester City. Will a season as a squad player mean he's fresh or lacks conditioning come the World Cup?

• Want to know more about Egypt? Read our comprehensive guide here

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Only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more international goals for European nations than Romelu Lukaku but the Napoli striker enters a second successive World Cup with serious question marks over his fitness.

He had played 69 minutes in the entirety of 2025-26 ahead of the warm-up friendlies before scoring as a substitute against Croatia.

Kevin De Bruyne remains Belgium's creative totem although he has also endured an injury-hit debut campaign with Napoli, making just 16 starts.

Twenty-six major tournament appearances is a joint-Belgium record, along with Lukaku. De Bruyne top scored with six goals in qualifying.

Charles De Ketelaere could lead the line if Lukaku is limited to an impact role. His shift from a number 10 to a striker at Atalanta was reflected in four qualifiers, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

• Want to know more about Belgium? Read our comprehensive guide here

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All being well, Mohamed Salah will be celebrating his 34th birthday on the pitch for Egypt's opener against Belgium in Seattle this evening.

The former Liverpool forward has 67 goals in 116 apps for Egypt but during his career has only reached one World Cup with The Pharaohs, and made just as many appearances as he has goals - two.

Will the Liverpool legend help his team break their World Cup duck and earn their first victory tonight?

It could prove to be his best birthday yet.

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Belgium and Egypt face each other in Seattle tonight from 20:00 BST in their opening match of Group G, which will be shown live on BBC 1, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

It's the first time captain Tielemans will lead Belgium out at a major tournament since taking the armband from Kevin De Bruyne in 2025.

The midfielder said he hoped to take the positivity from Aston Villa's Europa League triumph last month, but said: "I can tell ​every first game's very nervous...so it's going to be up to us to start well."

He ​added: "Go for it, no regrets and then anything can happen."

Manchester City's Jeremy Doku will be aiming for the same impressive start he made at Euro 2024 when he made 26 dribbles - the most by any player in the group stage since France's Franck Ribery's 32 dribbles at Euro 2012.

Egypt, of course, have Mohamed Salah.

The 29th ranked team will be hoping their talisman helps them reach the knockouts for the first time since 1934.

The 34-year-old had his worst season for Liverpool in 2025-26 but still racked up more than 20 goals and assists and might feel he has a point to prove after leaving the Reds at the end of the season.

Hossam Hassan's side also have a City star in their ranks with Omar Marmoush expected to start up top so, it could be yet another World Cup match with a lot of goals.

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We've been talking about the impact made by Premier League players today.

Well how about ex-Premier League players?

Belgium v Egypt is today's second match.

In previous years it would have been billed as a head-to-head between two of the English top flight's most creative attacking talents.

Kevin de Bruyne left Manchester City last summer, while his former rival in chief Mohamed Salah said goodbye to Liverpool at the of the last campaign.

Depending on selection, they could well meet again in Seattle tonight...