The Lead Is Simple
Iran finalized its 26‑player squad for the World Cup on Monday, naming 17 players whose clubs have not played since February because of the regional war in the Middle East. The 17 domestic players haven’t been active in league matches since February, a gap that makes the usual pre‑tournament rust look routine.
The roster includes nine overseas players, among the m star forward Mehdi Taremi of Olympiakos, but it does not feature Sardar Azmoun, who formed Iran’s strike partnership at the 2022 tournament. Azmoun was dropped in March after what reports called a social media post that angered Iranian authorities amid the continuing war with the United States and Israel.
That is usually how club statements work: the wording stays calm while the room clearly has not.
Saeid Ezatolahi, who plays for Shabab Al‑Ahli in Dubai, was selected, while the squad packs five players with clubs in the United Arab Emirates, two in Belgium, one in Greece (Taremi) and one in Russia. Belgium‑based Dennis Dargahi is listed as Dennis Eckert Ayensa at Standard Liège.
Iran will prepare at a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, before departing on Friday for its tournament base in Tijuana, Mexico. It received FIFA approval ten days ago to shift the planned pre‑World Cup training site from Tucson, Arizona, because of visa complications.
The Detail That Matters
In Group G, Iran faces New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later in Inglewood, California, the n travels to Seattle to take on Egypt on June 26.
If both Iran and the United States finish second in the ir groups, the y would meet in the round of 32 on July 3 at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas – a possible clash that adds a geographic twist to the bracket.
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).
The Road From Here
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 Liège), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiakos), Shahriar Moghanlou (Kalba).