Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
England
Match Time & Date:
21/11/2022
14:00
Prediction: 2-0
Iran
England will look to kick off their 2022 World Cup campaign in style when they take on Iran in the Group B opener. The Three Lions are seen as favourites to win Monday’s clash, but the Iranians should not be written off just yet. Leicester City midfielder James Maddison has received a call-up, with Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips making the cut as well despite injury concerns.
As always, a man to watch in Gareth Southgate’s team will be Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who has netted 51 goals in 75 appearances for the England national team. The nominal visitors, on the other hand, will surely rely on Porto attacker Mehdi Taremi, who has been scoring goals for fun in all competitions this term. Anyhow, we predict that the star-studded Three Lions will emerge triumphant in their first ever meeting with Iran at the showpiece tournament.
Highlighted Player (Harry Kane):
Widely regarded as one of England’s best strikers at the moment, Harry Kane enjoyed a meteoric rise at Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 21 Premier League goals during the 2014/2015 campaign to be voted PFA Young Player of the Year.
The highly rated striker went on to surpass that achievement the following season as he helped Tottenham Hotspur mount a serious title challenge for the first time in club’s recent history and he made seamless transition to international football. Kane scored four goals in his first ten appearances for England to prove he was here to stay and at the same time established himself as a first choice striker in Roy Hodgson’s squad ahead of the Euro 2016 finals.
Kane is a modern striker, who is extremely dangerous in the opposition box, but it was some outstanding goals from distance as well as link-up play with teammates that earned him an excellent reputation in world football. Kane is expected to lead both Tottenham and England in years to come, that is if he can resist the lure of top European clubs that continue to cast admiring glances his way.
Highlighted Team (Iran):
Iranian Football Federation was founded back in 1920. The Team Melli played their first match not before August, 1941, when they faced British India in Kabul. The Iranians emerged triumphant in the game (1-0) and two days later they played their first FIFA international match against Afghanistan. In 1968 the Iranians won their first trophy, with the team lifting the Asian Cup title.
The Iranians repeated the success four years later and, to make things even better, they won the 1976 Asian Cup trophy as well. Speaking of their participation at the FIFA World Cup finals, Iran booked their place at the showpiece tournament for the first time in 1978. The Team Melli then missed the next four major tournaments before qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals in France.
The Iranians participated at the 2006 and the 2014 tournaments as well and they did well to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. Iran footballers wear white shirts and white shorts when playing at home, while the colour of their away kits is red.
Man City 
Everton
Bournemouth
Crystal Palace 
Chelsea 
Fulham
Newcastle 
Aston Villa 
Nottingham Forest 
Tottenham
Southampton 
West Ham 
