Iran announced its finalized 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup on Monday, including 17 domestic players whose clubs have been inactive since February due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Azmoun’s exclusion from coach Amir Ghalenoei’s lineup came after a controversial social media post that reportedly angered Iranian officials amid the current conflict with the United States and Israel. In contrast, his teammate at Dubai’s Shabab Al-Ahli, Saeid Ezatolahi, made the cut.
The Iranian squad boasts five players from clubs in the United Arab Emirates, two playing in Belgium, Taremi from Greece, and one from Russia. Notably, Belgium-based Dennis Dargahi is listed under his official name but is known as Dennis Eckert Ayensa at Standard Liege.
Iran is currently in a training camp in Antalya, Türkiye, before heading to its tournament hub in Tijuana, Mexico, on Friday.
Due to complexities regarding visa requirements for entering the U.S., Iran received FIFA’s consent 10 days ago to shift from its original training site in Tucson, Arizona.
During the group stage of the World Cup, Iran will face New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 15, and Belgium on June 21, followed by a match against Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 26.
The Iranians may have the opportunity to face the U.S. in the round of 32 on July 3 at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas, provided both teams finish second in their respective groups. However, Iran has never advanced beyond the group stage in World Cup history.
Full Iran 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 (Foolad), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)
Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mehdi Ghayedi (Al-Nasr), 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), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiakos), Shahriar Moghanlou (Kalba)
This report includes information from The Associated Press.