Current FIFA Ranking: 20
Highest FIFA Ranking: 15 (August 2005)
Lowest FIFA Ranking: 122 (May 1996)
Football Team Nickname: Team Melli
Honours: Asian Cup (3): 1968, 1972, 1976
Head coach: Amir Ghalenoei (March 2023, second spell)
Top scorer in qualifying: Mehdi Taremi (10)
Star players: Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), Sardar Azmoun (Shabab Al Ahli)
Iran have qualified for a seventh World Cup and a fourth in succession, but they will be hoping to make history in the USA – they are yet to progress from the group stage and have won just three times in 18 matches (against Wales in 2022, Morocco in 2018 and famously v USA in 1998).
Iran is a football-mad country but has fallen behind its Asian rivals in recent years – the likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE have more lucrative domestic leagues but they can still boast players plying their trade in Europe including Olympiacos forward Mehdi Taremi who was their leading scorer in qualifying with 10 goals.
Amir Ghalenoei was appointed for the second time in 2023 – his previous spell in 2006-07 was met with much criticism after a poor show at the 2007 Asian Cup but a strong 2026 qualifying campaign has raised confidence of a first group stage progression.
Previous World Cup appearances (6):
2022: Group stage (England, USA, Wales)
2018: Group stage
2014: Group stage
2006: Group stage
1998: Group stage
1978: Group stage
