Iran name final 26-man squad for FIFA World Cup 2026 ft. Mehdi Taremi
(Courtesy : Getty)
Sardar Azmoun has been dropped from the roster.
Iran’s coach Amir Ghalenoei announced his 26-man roster for the FIFA World Cup 2026, excluding Sardar Azmoun in favour of veterans Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
Iran’s Vice President, Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, called for Azmoun to return. He was left out of the preliminary selection and did not make the final squad despite having scored 57 goals in 91 international matches.
Azmoun, who plays for Shabab Al-Ahli in the United Arab Emirates, was also left off the Iran squad in March. According to local media, he was banned from the national team for allegedly betraying the government.
33-year-old Olympiacos player Taremi and former Brighton & Hove Albion winger Jahanbakhsh will spearhead the assault in the competition, which will take place across the US, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
The football world governing body, FIFA, approved a request to relocate the training camp from Arizona to Mexico, which has been dealing with months of uncertainty regarding travel and security arrangements for the World Cup. Their base camp will be held at the Mexican border city of Tijuana.
All three of Iran’s group games are set to take place in the US. It will play New Zealand on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle five days later.
Iran’s FIFA World Cup 2026 squad
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand
Defenders: Danial Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian
Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghaedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi
Forwards: Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi Taremi, Shahriar Moghanlou
Which group are Iran?
They are in Group G.
When is their first game?
16th June, 6:30 am IST.
Who is a big absentee from the squad?
Sardar Azmoun.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.
After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.