Iran’s preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup managed by Amir Ghalenoei, was headlined by a blend of seasoned European-based veterans and promising domestic talent, most notably by Olympiacos striker Mehdi Taremi. The team is aiming to progress past the group stage for the first time in their history. Their star striker Sardar Azmoun was a notable omission from the side. The roster must be trimmed to the final 26-player limit by the June 1 FIFA deadline.
Their attack is heavily dependent on Mehdi Taremi, who serves as the captain and primary point. After omission of Sardar Azmoun from the preliminary list, the attacking job rests on wingers like Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, and Mehdi Ghaedi to provide pace and creativity. Midfield might play a very vital role against the high pressing natural games of Belgium and Egypt- Saman Ghoddos formerly Bentford striker, Saeid Ezatolahi and rising talents like Mohammad Ghorbani can play an integral part. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand brings critical leadership and World Cup experience.
According to new Fifa rules, the group stage now consists of 12 groups of four teams, with the top two teams in each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advancing to a newly introduced Round of 32. This might give teams like Iran an added advantage to qualify to the next stage.
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Iran Preliminary Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Seyed Hossein Hosseini (Sepahan), Mohammad Khalifeh (Aluminium Arak), Payam Niazmand (Persepolis)
Defenders: Danial Eiri (Malavan), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Hossein Kanaani (Persepolis), Shoja Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Nemati Omid Noorafkan (Foolad), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)
Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mehdi Ghaedi (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), Hadi Habibinejad (Chadormalou), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Amirhossein Mahmoudi (Persepolis), Kasra Taheri (Paykan), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos)
Iran will play its matches in the United States, facing New Zealand (June 15, Los Angeles), Belgium (June 21, Los Angeles), and Egypt (June 26, Seattle).
