FIFA World Cup: England vs Iran Odds & Recap
Three Lions Kick off Campaign vs. Iran
âš½England vs Iran: Game Recapâš½
Results: England 6-2 Iran
England opened their World Cup campaign with a massive 6-2 beating on Iran in Group B. The expectations for this match were not high, but England surprised everyone and put on a show.
Amid protests in Iran and calls for the squad to be disqualified from the World Cup, Iran’s most significant statement on the pitch came before the opening whistle by refusing to sing the team’s national anthem in an apparent protest. But after kickoff, Team Melli was clearly out of their depth against a well-organized England team.
Jude Bellingham put Gareth Southgate’s men ahead, with Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling making it 3-0 before halftime. Marcus Rashford scored England’s fifth after coming off the bench, and Jack Grealish made it six in the final minutes.
Iran found some form later in the second half and managed to score two goals thanks to Mehdi Taremi. The FC Porto striker found the net in the 65th minute and scored a penalty in the last kick of the game. However, both goals were consolation at best.
England came into the match as clear favorites at -290. Conversely, Iran came in as the underdogs with a +1000 moneyline and +375 for a draw.
Despite their form leading up to the World Cup, England came into the match as clear favorites at -290. Conversely, Iran came in as the underdogs with a +1000 moneyline and +375 for a draw.
The over/under for goals was at just two, but the match blew that out of the water. So, anyone who foolishly bet on the under lost out on everything. Congrats are owed to the few who bet on the over at +125.
 England | – |  Iran |
|---|---|---|
| 69% | Possession | 31% |
| 13 | Total Shots | 8 |
| 7 | Shots on Target | 3 |
| 3 | Shots Wide | 4 |
| 3 | Shots Blocked | 1 |
| 1 | Saves | 1 |
| 8 | Corners | 0 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 9 | Fouls | 14 |
| 2 | Offsides | 2 |
| 90% | Pass Accuracy | 66% |
| 11 | Dribbles | 0 |
| 21 | Crosses | 8 |
| 13 | Tackles | 13 |
Did We Get It Right?
Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on November 14, 2022.
Iran a Tricky Test for England
Group B at Qatar 2022 should be quite an interesting one. England, USA, Wales and Iran are all ranked in the top 20 in the world. Plus, we’ll see some long-standing rivalry matches with political tensions mixed in. To kick things off, England will face Iran in Doha in what could be a tricky opener for the Three Lions. Iran have been in great form heading into the World Cup and England’s form has been anything but great. Let’s take a look at the England vs Iran odds and preview the match.
England vs. Iran
Date, time (TV):
Location: Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Streaming: FS1, Telemundo
Team Standings and Odds:
| Team | FIFA World Ranking | World Cup Qualifying Record | Odds to Advance | Odds to Win Group | Odds to Win World Cup |
| England | 5 | 8-2-0, 1st UEFA Group I | -1600 | -300 | +800 |
| Iran | 20 | 8-1-1, 1st AFC Group A | +300 | +1500 | +50000 |
Head-to-Head:
England and Iran have never played an international match before, so this will be the first meeting. It’s not like Iran have never played at a World Cup before: this is their sixth appearance at the finals.
Which England Will Show Up?
- Upcoming Matches: Nov. 25 vs. USA, Nov 29 vs. Wales
It’s been a tumultuous year for England. They’ve won just two of their eight internationals in 2022 and went 0-3-3 in the UEFA Nations League. With their poor form, they were relegated to the Nations League B. Meanwhile, U.K. rivals Scotland got themselves promoted to Nations League A. Even with poor form, the England World Cup odds imply they could make a deep run. At +800 odds to win the tournament, only Brazil, Argentina and France have better soccer odds.
Despite all of the attacking talent on England’s roster, they too often play a constrained style. Against Europe’s top teams, Gareth Southgate typically employs defensive tactics instead of taking the game to opponents. In Group B, they’ll be expected to be on the front foot most of the time, though.
Plus, most of the squad that were Euro 2020 finalists are still around for the World Cup. Striker Harry Kane is in form heading into the tournament and is the reigning World Cup Golden Boot winner.
Young complementary pieces like Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden give Three Lions’ fans reason to be excited. Southgate listened to the fans and pundits and brought along Ben White and James Maddison as extra reinforcements. Right back Reece James was left home, though.
Meanwhile, the injured Kyle Walker and recovering Kalvin Philips are in the side. The England vs Iran odds price England as favorites and that should be the case in all three of their matches.
Don’t Sleep on Iran
- Upcoming Matches: Nov 25 vs. Wales, Nov 29 vs. USA
Iran should not be underestimated. They were the first AFC team to clinch qualification to the World Cup. Team Melli finished with the most points in the third round of AFC qualifiers, with 25. They only lost one match, to South Korea, and are ranked 20th in the world heading into the tournament. FIFA World Cup predictions don’t typically mention Iran going very far but they could very well play spoiler in Group B.
Back for a third consecutive World Cup appearance, Iran are hoping to make their first knockout stage in team history. This is one of the best soccer teams they’ve ever had and their 14 total AFC qualifying wins were the most in one campaign.
Carlos Queiroz is back for a second stint as Iran manager and he coached them at two other World Cups. Queiroz is a tactician who will make a lot of adjustments to shore up Iran’s weaknesses. He pioneered an Egyptian defense that conceded just two goals en route to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations final.
Team Melli has a handful of bright attacking talents. FC Porto star Mehdi Taremi is also Iran’s key player up top and he has 28 career international goals.
Queiroz also has Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun at his disposal. The defense certainly doesn’t have any household names but they’ve passed some tough tests recently. In a September round of friendlies, Iran defeated Uruguay 1-0 and drew with Senegal 1-1. Those are two teams with a solid chance to make the knockout stage at the World Cup.
Match Analysis and Odds:
The England vs Iran odds price England as -290 favorites despite the Three Lions winning just one of their last three World Cup openers. England haven’t won since March and Southgate’s side needs to start off the tournament on the front foot.
Iran’s moneyline is +1000 and they managed to win their opener over Morocco in 2018. Iran also conceded just two goals four years ago in a group with Spain and Portugal also in it. A draw also comes in at +375 odds and that’d be a big result for Team Melli.
England head into the match as 1½-goal favorites at +110 odds. It’s easy to see why punters are hesitant to bet on them given their recent form. They’re just five months removed from an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Hungary. Iran, on the other hand, show -130 to cover the spread and keep things close.
With Kyle Walker likely out for the first match, Iran could give a lumbering England defense some problems. Harry Maguire has been in poor form for Manchester United but is likely to start at center back.
The over/under total for the match is at 2½ goals and the over comes in at +125 odds. The under appears to be more likely, at -145 odds.
His Man U teammate and projected left back starter, Luke Shaw, has also been dealing with injury issues in recent months. Still, England show -175 odds to keep a clean sheet. The over/under total for the match is at 2½ goals and the over comes in at +125 odds. The under appears to be more likely, at -145 odds.
