Iran World Cup 2026 Squad: Final 26-Player List
Six World Cups, six group-stage exits. That is the record Iran carries into North America, and the Iran World Cup 2026 Squad wants to finally rewrite it. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei named his final 26 players on June 1, 2026, built around captain and talisman Mehdi Taremi.
Iran booked their place early, sealing qualification in March 2025 as winners of their AFC third round group. They land in Group G next to Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand.
The draw is kind by Iranian standards, and Ghalenoei knows this is a real chance to reach the knockouts for the first time.
Iran Quick Facts:
- Country: Islamic Republic of Iran
- Confederation: AFC
- Nickname: Team Melli
- Head Coach: Amir Ghalenoei
- Captain: Mehdi Taremi
- Group: Group G
- Group Opponents: Belgium, Egypt, New Zealand
- First Match: June 15 vs New Zealand, Los Angeles Stadium, 9:00 PM ET
- Last Group Match: June 26 vs Egypt, Seattle Stadium, 11:00 PM ET
- FIFA Ranking: 21st (as of April 1, 2026)
- World Cup Appearance: Seventh
- Kit Manufacturer: Majid
Iran Squad List for World Cup 2026
Goalkeepers
- Alireza Beiranvand, 33, Tractor (Iran)
- Seyed Hossein Hosseini, 33, Sepahan (Iran)
- Payam Niazmand, 31, Persepolis (Iran)
Defenders
- Ehsan Hajsafi, 36, Sepahan (Iran)
- Milad Mohammadi, 32, Persepolis (Iran)
- Ali Nemati, 30, Foolad (Iran)
- Danial Iri, 22, Malavan (Iran)
- Shojae Khalilzadeh, 37, Tractor (Iran)
- Mohammad Hossein Kanaanizadegan, 32, Persepolis (Iran)
- Arya Yousefi, 24, Sepahan (Iran)
- Saleh Hardani, 27, Esteghlal (Iran)
- Ramin Rezaeian, 36, Foolad (Iran)
Midfielders
- Alireza Jahanbakhsh, 32, FCV Dender (Belgium)
- Saeid Ezatolahi, 29, Shabab Al-Ahli (UAE)
- Rouzbeh Cheshmi, 32, Esteghlal (Iran)
- Amirmohammad Razaghnian, 20, Esteghlal (Iran)
- Mohammad Mohebi, 27, FC Rostov (Russia)
- Mehdi Ghayedi, 27, Al-Nasr (UAE)
- Saman Ghoddos, 32, Al-Ittihad Kalba (UAE)
- Mohammad Ghorbani, 25, Al-Wahda (UAE)
- Mehdi Torabi, 31, Tractor (Iran)
Forwards
- Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, 25, Tractor (Iran)
- Ali Alipour, 30, Persepolis (Iran)
- Shahriar Moghanlou, 31, Al-Ittihad Kalba (UAE)
- Denis Dargahi, 29, Standard Liege (Belgium)
- Mehdi Taremi (C), 33, Olympiacos (Greece)
This is a veteran group. Shojae Khalilzadeh is the oldest at 37, and teenager-turned-prospect Amirmohammad Razaghnian is the youngest at 20. The average age sits above 30, which makes Iran one of the three oldest squads at the tournament. Ghalenoei has trusted experience over a full rebuild.
Seventeen players come from the Iranian league, led by Persepolis and Tractor with four apiece. The other nine are based abroad. Four play in the United Arab Emirates, while Taremi (Greece), Jahanbakhsh and Dargahi (Belgium) and Mohebi (Russia) round out the foreign contingent. Ghoddos was born in Sweden and Dargahi in Germany.
Iran World Cup 2026 Fixtures
Iran play all three group stage matches on the West Coast of the United States. Kick-off times are listed in Eastern Time (ET) for North American viewers and Iran Daylight Time (IRDT) for fans watching at home.
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (ET) | Time (IRDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 15, 2026 | Iran vs New Zealand | Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood | 9:00 PM | 5:30 AM (Jun 16) |
| June 21, 2026 | Belgium vs Iran | Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood | 3:00 PM | 11:30 PM |
| June 26, 2026 | Egypt vs Iran | Seattle Stadium, Seattle | 11:00 PM | 7:30 AM (Jun 27) |
The top two teams in Group G advance automatically to the round of 32. The eight best third-placed teams across all 12 groups also go through. That safety net matters for Iran, because Belgium start as clear group favourites and a third-place finish could still be enough.
The opener against New Zealand looks like the must-win. Iran beat the All Whites 3-0 the last time the sides met, back in 2003. Egypt in the final match could decide second place. Both nations carry similar ambitions, so that Seattle fixture may turn into a straight shootout for the runner-up spot.
Manager: Amir Ghalenoei
Amir Ghalenoei was born on November 21, 1963, which makes him 62 at this tournament. He is Iranian, and the Football Federation appointed him for a second national-team spell on March 12, 2023. He replaced Carlos Queiroz after the 2022 World Cup and quickly settled the team down.
Ghalenoei is one of the most decorated coaches in Iranian club history. He won league titles with Sepahan and built a strong reputation at Esteghlal and Tractor. His first stint with the national team came in 2007 and 2008, and he lost just once in 17 games during that earlier period.
His current tenure has gone smoothly. He guided Iran to the semi-finals of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Then he steered a near-flawless qualifying run, losing only one of 16 matches and finishing eight points clear of third place in the group. Iran were among the first nations to qualify.
Tactically, Ghalenoei is pragmatic and results-first. He favours a four-man defence, often shaped as a 4-2-3-1, with a compact mid-to-low block. Iran defend deep, protect central areas and strike fast on the counter. It is a system that builds on the defensive discipline Queiroz left behind.
Star Player: Mehdi Taremi
Mehdi Taremi is 33 and plays centre-forward for Olympiacos in Greece. He captains Team Melli and leads the line as Iran’s main goal threat. He moved to Olympiacos in the summer of 2025 in search of regular minutes ahead of his third World Cup, and the switch worked.
Taremi has 56 goals in 101 caps for Iran. That puts him third on the all-time list, behind only Ali Daei and Sardar Azmoun. He is also the only Iranian to score more than once at a World Cup finals, after his brace against England in 2022.
His club record is just as strong. He starred for FC Porto across four seasons and scored a stunning overhead kick against Chelsea, voted UEFA’s Goal of the Season for 2021. He then spent a year at Inter Milan before the move to Greece. At Olympiacos he managed 16 goals in his first 35 appearances.
Taremi was central during qualifying too. He scored 10 goals in the Asian campaign, a tally bettered by almost nobody in the confederation. He drops deep to link play, holds defenders off and finishes with either foot. If Iran are going to make history, he is the man who has to deliver.
Key Players to Watch
Amirmohammad Razaghnian
Amirmohammad Razaghnian is 20 and plays central midfield for Esteghlal. He is the youngest player in the squad and the clearest sign that Ghalenoei is thinking past this cycle. His passing range and composure earned him a senior call-up well ahead of schedule.
He probably won’t start, but his selection carries weight. Iran lean heavily on players in their thirties, so a young option who can control tempo from deep gives the bench a different gear. A few tournament minutes would mark him as one to build around for 2030.
Ehsan Hajsafi
Ehsan Hajsafi is 36 and plays for Sepahan. He is Iran’s most experienced World Cup player and a former national captain. The left-sided defender is heading to his fourth World Cup, a rare feat for any Iranian footballer.
His value now is leadership as much as football. He reads the game, organises the back line and stays calm when matches tighten. Ghalenoei trusts him in big moments, and his presence steadies a squad full of players facing this stage for the first time.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Alireza Jahanbakhsh is 32 and plays as a right winger for FCV Dender in Belgium. He spent three seasons at Brighton in the Premier League and won the Eredivisie Golden Boot with AZ Alkmaar in 2018. That European pedigree still shows.
He is Iran’s second most-capped World Cup player behind Hajsafi. Jahanbakhsh cuts inside onto his left foot, links with Taremi and chips in with goals and assists. In a counter-attacking side, his ability to carry the ball and pick a pass is a genuine weapon.
Qualification Path & World Cup History
Iran cruised through Asian qualifying. They topped their third round group and lost only one of 16 matches across the campaign, scoring 35 goals and conceding 12. They confirmed their spot in March 2025, one of the earliest teams to reach the finals.
This will be Iran’s seventh World Cup. They first appeared in 1978 and returned in 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022. Across those six tournaments they have never escaped the group stage, with an all-time record of three wins, four draws and 11 losses.
Their best showing came in 2018 in Russia. Iran beat Morocco, drew 1-1 with Portugal and lost narrowly to Spain. Four points still wasn’t enough to advance, the cruellest of near misses. Their most famous result remains a 2-1 win over the United States at France 1998.
The 2022 campaign in Qatar ended in the group again. Iran beat Wales 2-0 with two stoppage-time goals, but defeats to England and the United States sent them home. Ghalenoei was hired soon after, with one clear brief: get this team out of the group at last.
What to Expect & Our Prediction
Expect Iran to defend deep and hit hard on the break. The 4-2-3-1 keeps two holding midfielders in front of the back four, and Taremi leads the line alone. Iran are organised, physical and dangerous from set pieces. They rarely beat themselves.
The weakness is creativity. Outside Taremi and Jahanbakhsh, goals can be hard to come by, and the squad’s age could tell in the summer heat. Belgium are the standout team in Group G and the match Iran most need to contain rather than chase.
New Zealand on June 15 is the game Iran must win. Belgium on June 21 is about damage control and discipline. Egypt on June 26 then looms as a likely decider for second place, against a side with similar strengths and similar flaws.
The realistic ceiling is the round of 32. In a best case, Iran beat New Zealand, grind a result against Egypt and finally reach a knockout round. The worst case is another tight group exit, the story they have lived six times before. Second place is achievable.
Iran World Cup 2026 Squad FAQs
Who is the oldest player in Iran’s 2026 World Cup squad?
Shojae Khalilzadeh is the oldest at 37. The Tractor centre-back is one of several players over 35, alongside Ehsan Hajsafi and Ramin Rezaeian, who are both 36.
Who is the youngest player in the squad?
Amirmohammad Razaghnian is the youngest at 20. The Esteghlal midfielder is one of the few players under 25 in an otherwise experienced group.
Which Iran players have Premier League experience?
Two. Alireza Jahanbakhsh played three seasons at Brighton, and Saman Ghoddos spent several years at Brentford. Both featured regularly in England’s top flight before moving on.
How many foreign-born players are in the squad?
Two. Saman Ghoddos was born in Sweden, and Denis Dargahi was born in Germany. Dargahi gained Iranian eligibility in 2026 and was added as a forward option.
Who scored the most goals for Iran during qualifying?
Mehdi Taremi led the way with 10 goals in Asian qualifying. That total ranked among the very best in the entire AFC qualification campaign.
Which clubs have the most Iran players in the squad?
Persepolis and Tractor lead with four players each. Sepahan and Esteghlal supply three apiece, which means the domestic league dominates the roster with 17 of the 26.
The Iran World Cup 2026 Squad is an experienced, defensively solid group chasing a first-ever trip beyond the group stage. Ghalenoei has a settled system and a captain in Taremi capable of deciding tight games.
The draw has handed Iran a real opening, and Team Melli arrive in North America believing this is the year the breakthrough finally comes.
