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Iran National Team Official Squad for the 2026 World Cup: Sardar Azmoun Left Out, Mehdi Taremi to Lead the Attack

Aurora Nightingale | June 2, 2026 6:51 PM CST

The Iran national football team has officially announced the list of players who will represent the country at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The announcement was made through the team’s official Instagram account on Monday, 1 June 2026.

Head coach Amir Ghalenoei has selected 26 players to compete in the World Cup.

However, the biggest talking point from the announcement is the omission of striker Sardar Azmoun, one of Iran’s most prolific forwards with 57 goals in 91 international appearances.

In attack, veteran striker Mehdi Taremi has been trusted to lead the line for Iran.

Alongside Taremi, Iran also has other attacking options such as Ali Alipour, Shahriar Moghanlou, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, and Dennis Eckert.

In goal, Iran will continue to rely on experienced goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who is expected to be the first-choice keeper. He will be supported by Hossein Hosseini and Payam Niazmand as backup options.

In defence, the squad features several familiar names including Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ramin Rezaeian, and Saleh Hardani, who are all expected to provide stability and strength at the back.

In midfield, Iran will depend on key players such as Saeid Ezatolahi, Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Torabi, Mehdi Ghayedi, and Mohammad Mohebi to maintain balance and control during matches.

At the 2026 World Cup, Iran has been drawn into Group G along with Egypt, Belgium, and New Zealand.

Iran National Team Official Squad for the 2026 World Cup

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)
Omid Noorafkan (Foolad)
Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)

Midfielders

Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal)
Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli)
Mehdi Ghaedi (Al-Nassr)
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)
Shahriyar Moghanlou (Kalba)
Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos)