New Zealand's Tyler Bindon, Mom Jenny Make World Cup History with Epic Achievement

New Zealand footballer Tyler Bindon made some history with his appearance in Monday's World Cup group stage match against Iran.

Bindon and his mother, Jenny, are now the first mother-son pair to both appear in the World Cup, as Jenny suited up for New Zealand in the 2007 and 2011 Women's World Cups.

A defender for Premier League side Nottingham Forest, Bindon came off the bench near the end of Monday's match as New Zealand and Iran played to a 2-2 tie at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old, who moved to California at the age of 12 when his mother took a coaching job at UCLA, had made 25 appearances at the international level prior to the 2026 World Cup.

Jenny Bindon played goalkeeper and made 77 appearances for the New Zealand national team. In addition to her World Cup appearances, she also played in the Olympics in 2008 and 2012.

In Monday's match, New Zealand jumped out to an early lead after Elijah Just found the back of the net in the seventh minute. Ramin Rezaeian tied things up for Iran before the half, but Just put in his second goal less than 10 minutes into the next frame. However, Mohammad Mohebbi knotted the game again in the 64th minute, and the two teams battled until the final whistle without scoring another goal.

New Zealand will be back in action on Sunday night in another group stage match against Egypt.