Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei on Monday named a 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, relying on veterans Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh while leaving out Sardar Azmoun.
Azmoun, who scored 57 goals in 91 caps, was left out of the provisional squad and did not make the final squad despite Iranian vice-president Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh calling on him to return.
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Azmoun, who plays for Shabab Al-Ahli in the United Arab Emirates, was also left out of the Iranian squad in March after local media reported he had been expelled from the national team for an alleged act of disloyalty to the government.
IRAN SELECTION FOR FIFA WORLD CUP 2026
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Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand
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Defenders: Danial Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian
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Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghaedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi
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Forwards: Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi Taremi, Shahriar Moghanlou
Taremi, 33, who plays for Olympiakos, and former Brighton & Hove Albion winger Jahanbakhsh will lead the attack in the tournament, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Iran, which has faced months of uncertainty over travel and security arrangements for the World Cup, will base its squad for the final in the Mexican border city of Tijuana after football’s governing body FIFA approved a request to move its training camp from Arizona.
Iran will play all three group matches in the United States. They will face New Zealand on June 15, Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, and Egypt in Seattle five days later.
Published on June 1, 2026
