Iran

FIFA #48

IRN

How they play

Absorb, break, punish.

World ranking

#21

Confederation

AFC · Asia

How they play

Absorb, break, punish.

Signature moment

Wales. Qatar 2022. Ninety minutes of absolute nothing, then — boom — two stoppage-time goals that flipped the entire group on its head. Iran had looked stuck, flat, done. Then Rouzbeh Cheshmi rifled one into the top corner in the 98th minute, and the bench absolutely lost its mind. It was the kind of moment that perfectly summarises Team Melli: quiet, quiet, quiet… then chaos. If you ever need a reason to never leave a Iran match early, that's your clip.

The ones to watch

Alireza BeiranvandGK
A goalkeeper with a genuinely cinematic backstory — he grew up homeless and sleeping in a park, and clawed his way to becoming Iran's last line of defence and a national icon.
Ehsan HajsafiDEF
The veteran captain who leads with calm authority and the kind of composed left-footed distribution that makes an entire back line feel three inches taller.
Saeid EzatolahiMID
The engine in the middle who does all the unsexy, essential work — breaking up plays, recycling possession, and making sure Iran's defensive shape never once falls apart.
Mehdi TaremiFWD
Iran's most dangerous weapon and a Champions League-tested striker whose ability to conjure goals from nothing is exactly what you need when you're supposed to be the smaller team.
Sardar AzmounFWD
Nicknamed the 'Iranian Messi' at home, this technically gifted forward has the kind of touch and movement that makes opposition defences quietly dread every set piece and transition.

One email the morning of their opener. Nothing else.

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