The Iran national football team, known as “Team Melli” (The National Team), represents Iran in international association football and is one of Asia’s most successful sides. Controlled by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), the team has qualified for six FIFA World Cups and has won the AFC Asian Cup three times. Coached by Amir Ghalenoei, Iran entered the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a squad remarkably composed of 17 domestic-based players due to the ongoing regional conflict affecting Middle Eastern football.
Location and Contact Information
- Governing Body: Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI)
- Head Coach: Amir Ghalenoei
- Home Stadium: Azadi Stadium, Tehran (capacity: 78,116)
- Confederation: AFC (Asia)
- World Cup Appearances: 6 (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026)
- Best World Cup Result: Group stage (never advanced to knockout rounds)
History
Iran has been one of Asia’s football powerhouses since qualifying for their first World Cup in 1978. They came agonizingly close to advancing from the group stage in 2014 under Carlos Queiroz and again in 2018 under the same coach, finishing just one point short. The 2026 World Cup campaign was conducted under extraordinary circumstances — the ongoing regional conflict meant that 17 of the 26-man squad came from domestic clubs that had not played competitive football since February 2026. Despite these challenges, Iran qualified and competed at the tournament.
Key Achievements
- AFC Asian Cup: Champions (1968, 1972, 1976); Fourth place (2004, 2011)
- FIFA World Cup: Group stage (7 appearances); yet to advance to knockout rounds
- Asian Games: Gold medal (1974, 1990, 1998)
- WAFF Championship: Champions (2000, 2004, 2007, 2008)
Current Squad — Players, Positions, and Clubs (2026)
Goalkeepers
- Alireza Beiranvand — Goalkeeper — Tractor SC
- Hossein Hosseini — Goalkeeper — Sepahan
- Payam Niazmand — Goalkeeper — Persepolis
Defenders
- Danial Eiri — Defender — Malavan
- Ehsan Hajsafi — Defender — Sepahan
- Saleh Hardani — Defender — Esteghlal
- Hossein Kanaani — Defender — Persepolis
- Shoja Khalilzadeh — Defender — Tractor SC
- Milad Mohammadi — Defender — Persepolis
- Ali Nemati — Defender — Foolad
- Ramin Rezaeian — Defender — Foolad
Midfielders
- Rouzbeh Cheshmi — Midfielder — Esteghlal
- Saeid Ezatolahi — Midfielder — Shabab Al-Ahli (UAE)
- Mehdi Ghayedi — Midfielder — Al-Nasr (UAE)
- Saman Ghoddos — Midfielder — Kalba (UAE)
- Mohammad Ghorbani — Midfielder — Al-Wahda (UAE)
- Alireza Jahanbakhsh — Midfielder — Dender (Belgium)
- Mohammad Mohebi — Midfielder — Rostov (Russia)
- Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia — Midfielder — Esteghlal
- Mehdi Torabi — Midfielder — Tractor SC
- Aria Yousefi — Midfielder — Sepahan
Forwards
- Ali Alipour — Forward — Persepolis
- Dennis Dargahi — Forward — Standard Liège (Belgium)
- Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh — Forward — Tractor SC
- Mehdi Taremi — Forward — Olympiacos (Greece)
- Shahriar Moghanlou — Forward — Kalba (UAE)
Notable Players
- Mehdi Taremi: Star forward at Olympiacos (Greece); one of Asia’s best strikers; scored 3 goals in 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign
- Alireza Beiranvand: First-choice goalkeeper; known for his incredible long-range throws; veteran of multiple World Cups
- Ehsan Hajsafi: Versatile veteran; over 140 caps; leadership in defense and midfield
- Sardar Azmoun: notably OMITTED from the 2026 squad; dropped after a controversial social media post during the regional conflict; striker previously at Bayer Leverkusen and Roma, now at Shabab Al-Ahli
2026 World Cup Campaign
Iran competed in Group G at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with matches against New Zealand (June 15 at SoFi Stadium, California) and Belgium (June 21), before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Due to visa complications related to the regional conflict, FIFA approved Iran’s request to move their training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico — a significant logistical challenge heading into the tournament. The squad’s composition, with 17 domestic-based players whose clubs had been inactive since February, made their campaign particularly challenging against opponents with fully match-fit squads.
Iran Women’s Football Context
Iran’s men’s national football program must be understood in the context of the broader women’s football landscape. The Iranian women’s national team played its first international match in 2005 and has competed at four AFC Women’s Asian Cup tournaments (2008, 2010, 2014, 2022). Captain of the men’s team during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was Masoud Shojaei, the Iranian record-holder for senior caps. Iran has never advanced beyond the group stage in any of its seven men’s World Cup appearances — including the 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 tournaments. The closest the team came to the knockout rounds was 2014, when Iran lost to Argentina only in stoppage time after leading for most of the match.
CONTACT US
For more information or to visit us, here are our branch addresses:
- Branch 1: Naungayan Building, Aala Road, Barangay Mankilam, Tagum City, Davao Del Norte
- Branch 2: Sobrecary Street (In front of Velox Gas Station), Tagum City, Davao Del Norte
- Email: gracezelguerra22@gmail.com
- Phone: 09460480491
- Business Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PH Time)
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