Iran’s World Cup Squad Announcement
On Monday, Iran announced its final squad of 26 players for the upcoming World Cup, with notable inclusions and exclusions. The team is primarily composed of 17 players based in Iran, many of whom have not seen match action since February, due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Key Players and Exclusions
Among the selected players is star forward Mehdi Taremi, currently with Olympiacos in Greece, along with eight other players plying their trade abroad. However, his striking partner from the 2022 World Cup, Sardar Azmoun, was surprisingly left out of the lineup. Reports suggest that Azmoun’s exclusion stems from a controversial social media post that reportedly upset the Iranian authorities amidst the current unrest involving the U.S. and Israel. In contrast, Saeid Ezatolahi, who also plays for Shabab Al-Ahli in Dubai, is included in the final roster.
Squad Composition
The squad incorporates five members from clubs in the United Arab Emirates, alongside players based in Belgium, Greece with Taremi, and one in Russia. Dennis Dargahi, representing Standard Liege, is officially listed under his full name – Dennis Eckert Ayensa.
Training Camp and World Cup Schedule
As preparations ramp up ahead of the World Cup, Iran is currently conducting a training camp in Antalya, Turkey. The team planned to originally set base in Tucson, Arizona, but recently received FIFA’s authorization to shift their training site due to challenges related to obtaining U.S. visas. Following their training, the Iranian team will head to Tijuana, Mexico, serving as their World Cup hub.
Their journey in the tournament will begin with matches in Group G at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where they face New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21. A third match is slated for June 26 against Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle. Should both Iran and the U.S. secure a spot in the knockout stage, they could potentially clash in a round of 32 match on July 3 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Notably, Iran has yet to advance beyond the group phase in previous World Cup appearances.
Complete Iran World Cup Squad
- Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Hossein Hosseini (Sepahan), Payam Niazmand (Persepolis)
- Defenders: Danial Eiri (Malavan), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Hossein Kanaani (Persepolis), Shoja Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Nemati (Foolad), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)
- Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mehdi Ghayedi (Al-Nasr), Saman Ghoddos (Kalba), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al-Wahda), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), Mohammad Mohebi (Rostov), Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia (Esteghlal), Mehdi Torabi (Tractor), Aria Yousefi (Sepahan)
- Forwards: Ali Alipour (Persepolis), Dennis Dargahi (Standard Liege), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiakos), Shahriar Moghanlou (Kalba)
