Iran at World Cup 2026

Manager: Amir Ghalenoei · Formation: 4-2-3-1

Rating

Tier 4

Price

£10m

Iran at the 2026 World Cup

Iran's national football team head to the 2026 World Cup under Amir Ghalenoei, placed in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. The squad balances creative midfield play with defensive experience across multiple positions. The group stage opens against New Zealand on 15 June at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Iran qualified by winning AFC third-round Group A on 25 March 2025 under Amir Ghalenoei. His tactical setup prioritises possession control and disciplined defending. New Zealand will offer a winnable opening, but Belgium and Egypt present significant tests for a side targeting group progression.

Iran in Goal Rush

Tier

Price

£10m

Expected Goals

xG Rank

Iran sit in Tier 4 of our Goal Rush competition at £10m per slot, the lower-mid band sitting above Tier 5 sides. Group G features Belgium as heavy favourites, but Egypt and New Zealand present competitive matchups. It's a balanced draw that offers Iran realistic pathways if they can maintain their AFC form.

📋 Full Squad (30)

Manager: Amir Ghalenoei · Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeepers

—

Alireza Beiranvand

Age 33

0 caps

—

Hossein Hosseini

Age 33

0 caps

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Mohammad Khalifeh

Age 21

0 caps

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Payam Niazmand

Age 31

0 caps

Defenders

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Ali Nemati

Age 30

0 caps

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Aria Yousefi

Age 24

0 caps

—

Danial Eiri

Age 22

0 caps

—

Ehsan Hajisafi

Age 36

0 caps

—

Hossein Kanani

Age 32

0 caps

—

Milad Mohammadi

Age 32

0 caps

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Ramin Rezaeian

Age 36

0 caps

—

Saleh Hardani

Age 27

0 caps

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Shoja Khalilzadeh

Age 37

0 caps

Midfielders

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Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia

Age 20

0 caps

—

Hadi Habibinejad

Age 30

0 caps

—

Mehdi Ghayedi

Age 27

0 caps

—

Mehdi Torabi

Age 31

0 caps

—

Mohammad Ghorbani

Age 24

0 caps

—

Mohammad Mohebi

Age 27

0 caps

—

Omid Noorafkan

Age 29

0 caps

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Roozbeh Cheshmi

Age 32

0 caps

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Saeid Ezatolahi

Age 29

0 caps

—

Saman Ghoddos

Age 32

0 caps

Forwards

—

Ali Alipour

Age 30

0 caps

—

Alireza Jahanbakhsh

Age 32

0 caps

—

Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh

Age 25

0 caps

—

Amirhossein Mahmoudi

Age 19

0 caps

—

Dennis Dargahi

Age 29

0 caps

—

Kasra Taheri

Age 19

0 caps

—

Mehdi Taremi

Age 33

0 caps

Group Stage

Upcoming Matches

FIFA World Cup

IRN

01:00

Tue 16 Jun

NZL

FIFA World Cup

BEL

19:00

Sun 21 Jun

IRN

FIFA World Cup

EGY

03:00

Sat 27 Jun

IRN

Form & Qualifying

Iran won AFC third-round Group A on 25 March 2025 to reach the 2026 World Cup under Amir Ghalenoei. Ghalenoei's 4-2-3-1 system sits deep and counters with precision. Iran recorded the second-most through balls in Asian qualifying at 12, a metric that reflects their transition-based approach. The system relies on penalty-box presence in attack, positioning Iran to exploit space on the counter in Group G against Belgium and Egypt.

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Iran's preliminary World Cup squad

Amir Ghalenoei's 30-man preliminary squad is led by captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), with forward Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos), long-serving defender Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan) and goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor) among the named key players. The final 26-man squad is due by 1 June 2026.

IR Iran's Group G fixtures

Iran's three Group G fixtures begin with New Zealand on 15 June at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, followed by Belgium on 21 June at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and Egypt on 26 June at Lumen Field in Seattle.

How far can IR Iran go at the World Cup?

Iran's Tier 4 status and Group G draw position them as lower-mid-tier contenders. Their deep-and-counter system from AFC qualifying and the transition-based approach through through balls are the tactical foundations for their tournament hopes. New Zealand offers a realistic opening opportunity, but Belgium and Egypt will test their defensive discipline significantly.

Iran World Cup 2026 FAQs

Amir Ghalenoei manages Iran at the 2026 World Cup. Ghalenoei's tactical blueprint prioritises defensive compactness and counter-attacking precision, a system designed to exploit space through transition play.

Iran are in Group G with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand. Their tournament opens against New Zealand on 15 June at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

Iran won AFC third-round qualifying Group A on 25 March 2025, with Amir Ghalenoei overseeing the campaign.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh is the Iran captain, listed in the 30-man preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup. The final 26-man squad is due by 1 June 2026.

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