Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei named a 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup on June 1, excluding prolific forward Sardar Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 international appearances [1, 2, 3]. Veteran strikers Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh will lead the attack for Iran in the tournament [1, 2, 3].
Azmoun’s omission follows his absence from the March squad, which was reportedly due to a perceived act of disloyalty or a social media post that angered Iranian authorities [1, 2, 3]. Despite calls from Iran Vice President Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh for Azmoun to return to the national team, the forward remains excluded [1].
Iran’s squad includes 17 home-based players and 9 based overseas, featuring five players from clubs in the UAE, two in Belgium, and one each in Greece, Russia, and Belgium again, where Dennis Dargahi—also known as Dennis Eckert Ayensa at Standard Liege—is included [3].
The team will hold its World Cup training camp in Tijuana, Mexico, after FIFA approved a relocation from Arizona due to visa and security concerns [1, 2, 3]. Iran will play all three of its Group G matches in the United States: against New Zealand on June 15, Belgium on June 21 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, and Egypt on June 26 at Lumen Field in Seattle [1, 2, 3].
If both Iran and the United States finish second in their respective groups, the teams could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 at the stadium in Arlington, Texas [3].
