Nation dossier · Group G · In contention
Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Up next Egypt v Iran · Group G
Title probability
0.0%
as of 2026-06-25
Overview
Team Melli arrive at the 2026 World Cup as Asia's perennial heavyweights, qualifying with their customary efficiency atop their group. Iran remain blessed with a generation of European-tested attackers, fronted by Inter Milan's Mehdi Taremi and the powerful Sardar Azmoun, giving them genuine firepower against any opponent.
The long-standing curse hangs over them, however: Iran have never progressed beyond the group stage in their World Cup history. With a settled defensive core and the attacking quality to spring an upset, this squad carries real ambition to finally break that ceiling.
Capital
Tehran
Population
88,500,000
Confederation
AFC
FIFA code
IRN
From Wikipedia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the…
Source: Wikipedia →Squad
- 174caps
Alireza Beiranvand
Persepolis · Commanding No.1 with huge throw
- 1212caps
Payam Niazmand
Sepahan · Reliable shot-stopping deputy
- 228caps
Amir Abedzadeh
Ponferradina · Experienced European-based keeper
- 261caps
Ramin Rezaeian
Sepahan · Attacking right-back, dead-ball threat
- 362caps
Milad Mohammadi
Persepolis · Marauding left-back, long throws
- 435caps
Sadegh Moharrami
Dinamo Zagreb · Energetic overlapping full-back
- 540caps
Majid Hosseini
Esteghlal · Composed ball-playing centre-back
- 853caps
Morteza Pouraliganji
Persepolis · Aerially dominant defensive rock
- 1312caps
Aref Aghasi
Sepahan · Emerging young defensive talent
- 1536caps
Shojae Khalilzadeh
Al-Ahli · Experienced no-nonsense stopper
- 1915caps
Hossein Kanaani
Esteghlal · Tough physical centre-half
- 652caps
Saeid Ezatolahi
Persepolis · Anchoring defensive midfielder
- 778caps
Alireza Jahanbakhsh
sc Heerenveen · Captain and creative winger
- 1641caps
Ahmad Nourollahi
Shabab Al-Ahli · Box-to-box engine room
- 1863caps
Vahid Amiri
Persepolis · Tireless versatile workhorse
- 2033caps
Ali Karimi
Kayserispor · Tidy deep-lying playmaker
- 2147caps
Saman Ghoddos
Brentford · Premier League creative spark
- 2348caps
Mehdi Torabi
Persepolis · Direct goal-scoring winger
- 985caps
Mehdi Taremi
Inter Milan · Clinical talisman and finisher
- 1080caps
Sardar Azmoun
Shabab Al-Ahli · Powerful predatory centre-forward
- 1198caps
Karim Ansarifard
Omonia Nicosia · Veteran penalty-box poacher
- 1418caps
Allahyar Sayyadmanesh
Hull City · Pacey young attacking threat
- 1714caps
Shahriyar Moghanlou
Persepolis · Mobile target-man option
Model
as of 2026-06-25Exp. points
3.51
Proj. finish
25.8
Seed Elo
1720
Title-probability trajectory
Champion chance across the last 14 snapshots
Matches
History
2022
Did not qualify / Group stage
Culture
Football culture
Football is woven into daily Iranian life, with the Tehran derby between Persepolis and Esteghlal among Asia's fiercest and most passionate rivalries. The national team commands enormous emotional investment, and qualification campaigns dominate public conversation.
Did you know
- Iran's Azadi Stadium has hosted some of the loudest crowds in Asian football history.
- Tehran's Persepolis–Esteghlal derby regularly draws crowds of over 80,000.
- Iran's 1998 victory over the USA remains one of the World Cup's most politically charged matches.
- Iran have topped Asian qualifying groups with remarkable consistency over two decades.
- Mehdi Taremi became one of Serie A's most coveted forwards after starring for Porto.