Amir Ghalenoei takes Iran into a seventh World Cup this summer, still chasing a maiden knockout-stage appearance after six previous failures.
Team Melli arrive amid extraordinary political backdrop, with the regional war meaning 17 of his squad’s home-based players have not played for their clubs since February. Ghalenoei confirmed his final 26-man list on Monday, 1 June.
Iran: 2026 World Cup Squad, Fixtures and Schedule
The biggest story is the absence of Sardar Azmoun. The 31-year-old forward, who has 57 goals in 91 caps, was dropped in March after a social media post that reportedly angered the authorities amid Iran’s war with the United States and Israel. Iran’s Vice President Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh publicly called for his return, to no avail.
Mehdi Taremi instead leads the line at his third finals. The Olympiacos striker top-scored in qualifying with 10 goals in 15 matches. He famously netted twice against England at Qatar 2022. Captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh, the former Brighton and Feyenoord forward, took the armband ahead of the campaign.
🇮🇷 İran Milli Futbol Takımı'nın 2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası nihai kadrosu belli oldu 📽️ pic.twitter.com/q0xx3k3Z7E
— AA SPOR (@aa_spor) June 1, 2026
Veteran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty at Russia 2018, returns for a third tournament. Sepahan left-back Ehsan Hajsafi is the most-capped player in the group, on 142 appearances.
Iran sealed qualification with room to spare, topping AFC third-round Group A ahead of Uzbekistan, the UAE, Qatar, North Korea and Kyrgyzstan. They lost just one of 16 matches across the entire campaign. Ghalenoei has shifted his base to Mexico after FIFA approval, having prepared in Antalya with a 3-1 friendly win over Gambia on 29 May.
Group G pits Iran against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt. All three group games fall on the US West Coast, with two in Los Angeles. The opener against New Zealand looks the most winnable test. The final-day shoot-out with Egypt in Seattle may well decide their fate.
Iran 2026 World Cup fixtures
- Monday, June 15th – Iran vs New Zealand – Inglewood, USA
- Sunday, June 21st – Belgium vs Iran – Inglewood, USA
- Saturday, June 27th – Egypt vs Iran – Seattle, USA
What time do Iran’s World Cup games kick off?
All kick-off times are BST.
- Iran vs New Zealand, 5am
- Belgium vs Iran, 11pm
- Egypt vs Iran, 7am
Iran 2026 FIFA World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Seyed Hossein Hosseini (Sepahan), Payam Niazmand (Persepolis)
Defenders: Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Nemati (Foolad), Danial Iri (Malavan), Shojae Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Hossein Kanaanizadegan (Persepolis), Arya Yousefi (Sepahan), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)
Midfielders: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Amirmohammad Razaghnian (Esteghlal), Mohammad Mohebbi (Rostov), Mehdi Ghayedi (Al-Nasr), Saman Ghoddos (Ittihad Kalba), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al Wahda), Mehdi Torabi (Tractor)
Forwards: Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Ali Alipour (Persepolis), Shahriar Moghanlou (Ittihad Kalba), Dennis Eckert Ayensa (Standard Liège), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos)
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