Iran will compete in their seventh FIFA World Cup and arrive as one of Asia's most consistent national teams. Yet the ultimate challenge remains the same: advancing beyond the group stage for the first time. Iran began their 2026 qualifying campaign in a group with Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Hong Kong, where the top two would advance to the third round. After six matches, Team Melli cruised through as group winners, beating Turkmenistan and Hong Kong twice each and drawing twice with Uzbekistan. In the third round, Iran were again paired with Uzbekistan, along with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea, with the top two guaranteed a place at the World Cup.Iran opened the third round with two narrow wins before playing out a third straight draw against Uzbekistan. They then strung together four consecutive victories to move top of the group. On March 25, 2025, Uzbekistan visited Iran knowing a draw would secure Team Melli's place at the tournament, and the sides shared the points once more in a 2-2 result, their fourth draw of the cycle. Iran qualified with two games to spare. Although they lost their final away match against Qatar, they closed the campaign with a home win over North Korea to finish top of the group, two points clear of runners-up Uzbekistan.
The squad is led by Mehdi Taremi. At 33, the striker may be entering his final World Cup at the peak of his career and will once again serve as Iran's main attacking reference. His goal-scoring ability, international experience, and leadership will be vital to Iran's ambitions. Alongside him, experienced figures such as Alireza Beiranvand, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Saeid Ezatolahi, and Ramin Rezaeian will bring stability and leadership to a squad dreaming of making history.
Drawn into Group G alongside New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt, Iran will rely on their tactical discipline, experience, and defensive solidity against top-level opposition. They begin their 2026 World Cup campaign on June 15 against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. On June 21, they remain in California to face Belgium at the same venue. Iran's final group stage match comes on June 26 in Seattle, Washington, where they take on Egypt at Lumen Field.
Iran 2026 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 Omid Noorafkan (Foolad), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)
Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mehdi Ghaedi (Al-Nassr), 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), Shahriyar Moghanlou (Kalba), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos)
