ANTALYA, Türkiye (AP) — Iran is settled 26 men world cup The team playing in the U.S. on Monday includes 17 home-based players the club has not played since February. Middle East regional war.
Star forward Mehdi Taremi, who plays for Greece’s Olympiakos, was among the nine overseas players but was not included as a strike partner for the 2022 World Cup. Sardar Azmun.
Azmoun was dropped from coach Amir Ghalenoei’s squad in March, reportedly due to social media posts that angered Iranian authorities during matches. war with America and Israel. His teammate Saeed Ezatollah from Dubai club Shabab Al Ahly was selected.
Iran’s Mehdi Taremi (right) shoots the ball next to Gambia’s Muhammadu Drameh during a friendly soccer match between Iran and Gambia in Antalya, southern Turkey, on Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Iran has five players who play for clubs in the United Arab Emirates, two from Belgium, Taremi from Greece and one from Russia. Belgium-based Dennis Dalgahy, who is on the official team list, is known as Dennis Eckert Aiensa at his club Standard Liege.
Iran is preparing for the World Cup with a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, ahead of a scheduled departure for the tournament’s base in Tijuana, Mexico, on Friday.
Due to the complexity of visa issues for entering the United States, Iran receives FIFA approval It was 10 days before they moved from their scheduled practice base in Tucson, Arizona.
Iran will play two World Cup Group G games in Inglewood, California, playing New Zealand on June 15, then Belgium six days later, before playing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
Iran and the United States could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, if both sides finish second in their group.
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Iran:
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Hossein Hosseini (Sepahan), Payam Niazmand (Persepolis)
Defenders: Danial Eili (Maravan), Ehsan Haisafi (Sepahan), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Hossein Kanani (Persepolis), Shoja Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Nemati (Hoorad), Ramin Rezean (Hoorad)
Midfielders: Rauzbe Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeed Ezatollah (Shabab Al Ahly), Mehdi Ghayedi (Al Nasr), Saman Ghods (Kalba), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al Wahda), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), Mohammad Mohebi (Rostov), Amir Mohammadullah Zaginia (Esteghlal), Mehdi Torabi (Tractor), Alia Youssefi (Sepahan)
Forwards: Ali Alipour (Persepolis), Denis Dargahi (Standard Liège), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiakos), Shahriar Mogunrou (Kalva)
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
