Iran has dropped 6 places in the monthly FIFA ranking in September 2012. Iran which is currently involved in the FIFA World Cup Qualification 2014 in the same group with Korea Rep. , Uzbekistan , Qatar and Lebanon, is now ranked 54 in the list with 573 points accumulated. However , Iran is still 4th in the continental ranking after Japan (793) , Australia (778) and Korea Rep. (763).

This would be one of the lowest FIFA ranking  since Carlos Queiroz took over at the helm of Team Melli coaching. The poor results in the World Cup qualifiers was a factor in the drop in ranking. Iran won 1-0 away to Uzbekistan and drew 0-0 at home against Qatar. Both of these teams rank below Iran in the table.

FIFA Ranking

Asian Zone

Last Updated 05 Sep 2012

	Rnk	Zon. Rnk	Team	Pts	+/- Pos
	23	1	Japan	793	-1
	25	2	Australia	778	-1
	27	3	Korea Republic	763	2
	54	4	Iran	573	-6
	70	5	Uzbekistan	470	-7
	78	6	China PR	437	-9
	78	7	Iraq	437	6
	81	8	Korea DPR	429	10
	87	9	Jordan	402	-4
	92	10	Qatar	380	6
	93	11	Oman	376	-1
	100	12	Kuwait	348	-4
	105	13	Saudi Arabia	328	-1
	112	14	Bahrain	308	-10
	120	15	United Arab Emirates	278	1
	124	16	Lebanon	271	3
	127	17	Turkmenistan	266	-4

Iran confirmed their place in the final of the AFF tournament 2012 when they picked up the full six points out of two matches, following their close 2-1 win over Uzbekistan in an Ho Che Min City match.

Iran’s team coach Akbar Mohammadi Argi said after the game that both teams were struggling with the unpredictable weather conditions throughout the 90 minutes.

“It was hot at the start then it became cold right at the end, a condition which both teams have to adjust to,” said Akbar. “Today, we put what we have learned into practice and it is just another win for us.

“But today, the players also must realized that they have to finish all the chances they have created where in the second half we had at least three good opportunities. That failure to score resulted in us being put under pressure.”

With both teams fresh from their respective victories two days earlier, the game was always going to be close as afterall the last time, the two teams met in friendlies in Tashkent, it ended in an even one win and one defeat for either team.

But today, Iran seemed to be more determined where in spite of being ran ragged by Vietnam in their first match, they have the legs to take control of the midfield with Mohammad Hossein pulling the strings.

Both Roozbeh Chesmi and Sardar Azmoun had their chances but missed the target while for Uzbekistan’s best effort in the first half came off Abdumuminov Jahongir in the 18^th minute but was denied by the excellent save from Hojjat Sedhi.

In the 29^th minute, there was no denying Iran the lead when Azmoun made good on the cross from Roozbeh. The score at the end of the first half was 1-0 to Iran.

The second half saw a more battling performance from Uzbekistan as they look for the equalizer. In the 58^th minute, a header from Yuldashov Boburbek off a freekick was cleared on the line by Mohammad Hossein.

Iran replied with Azmoun rocking the crossbar just after the hourmark before Roozbeh doubled their lead with a well taken header off a cross from Hossein Fazeli.

Uzbekistan then grabbed their only goal in the game in the 71^st minute when Sergeev Igor slammed home from close range.

Iran will play its final match against Australia on Thursday 6th September 2012. Australia won its first match when they defeated host Vietnam 4-0 later in the day.

Iran is leading the 4 team tournament with 6 points.

HO CHI MINH CITY (2 Sept 2012) –

Iran denied Vietnam further reasons to celebrate their National Day today when they beat the hosts 2-1 in the second game of the first match day of the AFF Under-19 Preparatory Tournament here at the Thong Nhat Stadium.

Today marked the 65^th year of Vietnam’s independence.

But at the Thong Nhat Stadium, Iran would prove that they mean business as barely into the first minute of play, striker Sardar Azmoun blasted in the lead for the visitors from the edge of the box.

With the fans barely into their seat and the home team still looking to settle down, the early goal certainly did not sit well with their plans.

They tried hard to get back into the game but found Iran’s physique too hard to break down as play was restricted to mostly in the middle of the park.

In the 33^rd minute, the game went up a notch as after a long cross from the back, Behnam Barzay ran in with the ball before putting it past Vietnam keeper Nguyen Son Hai.

Two goals down and with nowhere else to go but forward, Vietnam soon strung passes together and as Iran became more brazen, the hosts finally scored their first goal in the game just before the break.

Off a long cross from Dao Duy Khanh, striker Phan Dinh Thang chipped the ball over the oncoming Iran keeper Hojjat Sedghi – much to the jubilation of the several thousand fans.

The second half was very much a carbon copy of the first with Vietnam more on the counter-attack to get the better of their much taller opponents. But with them unable to hold the ball for long periods, the loss of possessions was telling to their overall effort.

Iran’s best chance after the break came in the 67^th minute but Azmoun totally fumbled his try while ten minutes to the end, Vietnam’s chance for an equalizer was denied by Hojjat.

The Next match for Iran U19 will be on the 4th September against Uzbekistan who beat Australia 2-1 in the forst match.

Ashkan Dejagah has lost his chance to play for his country against Lebanon and Jordan. The shock news came as Carlos Queiroz announced an immediate replacement for the German based Iran International.

Karim Ansarifard who was dropped in the initial list drawn by Queiroz , was recalled to team Melli to replace injured Dejagah. Meanwhile the Wolfsburg player was involved in transfer activities , as news from London was filtering through that Fulham was interested in the Iran International player.

In London , this Friday , Fulham boss Martin Jol was set to plunder the German Bundesliga again in a bid to bolster a midfield left weakened by the departure of Mousa Dembele to Tottenham Hotspur.

Jol has already brought Croatian striker Mladen Petric from Hamburg and German defender Sascha Riether from Wolfsburg this summer. Now he is ready to pay Wolfsburg £2million for Iran international Ashkan Dejagah.

Riether and attacking midfielder Dejagah were in the same Wolfsburg squad that lost to Fulham in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the spring of 2010. Now they could link up again, subject to a medical on Dejagah who recently tore a muscle in training.

Should the deal go through, that injury will prevent the 26-year-old from making his debut in tomorrow’s Premier League derby at West Ham.

While in Germany , Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath has revealed Fulham have made an approach for winger Ashkan Dejagah. The 26-year-old has just 12 months remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga side and has risen through the ranks at the club.

“I have asked Ashkan about this (move to Fulham) and he said he would be keen to make the move,” Magath told Kicker-Sportmagazin.

“I have to say I am not happy about him leaving us but we had to consider the whole situation.”

Tehran

No major surprises in Queiroz list.  The Portuguese coach sticks to the old guns.

The eagerly awaited list of Team Melli players who would be traveling to Jordan for a training camp and then to Lebanon for the FIFA Word Cup match vs Lebanon, has been announced by Carlos Queiroz.

The 23-man squad was announced after the conclusion of the round 7 of the Persian Gulf League matches.. The Squad would be based in Amman for a week and the program includes  a friendly match in Amman with the host.
After the conclusion of the camp , Team Melli will be flying to Beirut to meet Lebanon in the third match of the Qualifying group of the World Cup 2012. This match will go a long way in defining the chances of Team Melli in this tightly contested group with includes South Korea , Uzbekistan , Qatar in addition to Iran and Lebanon.

Despite some expectations that Quieroz , after watching 7 rounds of the current league, will be calling some new players , this list is identical to the previous ones with only minor adjustments. The major addition is Spain based Osasuna player Masoud Shojaei, who is yet to be fully fit for his club and was not even on the bench during the last match Osasuna played against Barcelona in the La Liga. Shojaei has not played for Team Melli since the 2011 Asian Cup in which he suffered several injuries which required multiple several surgical operations.  Masoud Shojae started training a few weeks back to prepare himself for the league. He was selected by Quieroz for the Hungary camp but was met by objection of Osasuna club who were very reluctant to release him so early in his recovery.

While most of the legionnaires are included in the list , they are not expected to join the training camp due to the club commitments. These players will be joining the squad at the customary FIFA regulation of 3 days before an official match.

The 3 regular players missing are Khosrow Heydari , Mojtaba Jabbari , as well as the  suspended Andranik Teymourian.  Not surprisingly , Perspolis forward and last years top league striker Karim Ansarifard was dropped as a result of his poor form while his club is struggling at the end of the table.  The  21-year-old Ansarifard , ex-Saipa forward, has not featured in Perspolis starting line up recently.

Almost half of the selected players (10 out of 23 ) are from Esteghlal and Perspolis clubs, despite the two popular Tehran teams faring poorly in the league at the early stages. Perspolis is currently near the foot of the table , while Esteghlal is lingering at the lower mid table.

Ali Sanei , the head coach of Futsal Team Melli , has announced a list of 17 players who are selected to participate in the upcoming training camp. The camp will be in preparation for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2012 which will be held in Thailand. The competition  will start on November 1th and ends on November 18th. Iran in in group B with, title contender Spain, Morocco and Panama.

Notable absentee from the list is former Captain Vahid Shamsaei.

During the training camp , Futsal Team Melli will play two friendly games against Russia from September 17th.

DATE	TIME	COMPETETION	STAGE	TEAM HOME	TEAM AWAY	VENUE
Wednesday, January 7, 2026	14:30	AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group C	KOREA REP	IRAN	SHG ARENA (RIYADH)OUNTRY)
Saturday, January 10, 2026	17:00	AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group C	UZBEKISTAN	IRAN	PRINCE FAISAL BIN FAHD STADIUM (RIYADH)
Tuesday, January 13, 2026	14:30	AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group C	IRAN	LEBANON	SHG ARENA (RIYADH)OUNTRY)
Sunday, March 1, 2026	12:00	AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group A	KOREA REP	IRAN	GOLD COAST STADIUM (GOLD COAST / KOMBUMERRI COUNTRY)
Thursday, March 5, 2026	12:00	AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group A	IRAN	AUSTRALIA	GOLD COAST STADIUM (GOLD COAST / KOMBUMERRI COUNTRY)
Sunday, March 8, 2026	12:00	AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group A	IRAN	PHILIPPINES	GOLD COAST STADIUM (GOLD COAST / KOMBUMERRI COUNTRY)
Monday, June 15, 2026	04:00 / 04:30 IRST 02:00 BST 18:00 ET	FIFA World Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group G	IRAN	NEW ZEALAND	SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
Sunday, June 21, 2026	22:00 / 22:30 IRST 20:00 BST 12:00 ET	FIFA World Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group G	BELGIUM	IRAN	SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
Friday, June 26, 2026	06:00 / 06:30 IRST 04:00 BST 20:00 ET	FIFA World Cup 2026	Group Stage - Group G	EGYPT	IRAN	Lumen Field, Seattle

Carlos Queiroz , the Portuguese coach of Team Melli , discussed the plans for the to the crucial World Cup Qualifying match against Lebanon in Beirut. In an interview , Queiroz also talked about several other issues including the training camp in Hungary . Tunisia match , participation in WAFF and the friendly match with Jordan. In a remarkable quote , he admitted that technical merits are not always the catalyst for player selection in Team Melli but there are administrative issues as well.

Q)    Kindly explain the latest status with Team Melli in preparation for the Lebanon game?

A)    We had laid down the plan for the match against Lebanon including training camps. All the items have been carried out according to that plan. The team will meet up at 17:00 on 29 of August in National Training Academy and 18:00 on that day we will start our training. The next day at 5:00 am we will leave to Jordan and we will train there until September 10. On September 7 we will have our friendly with Jordan and after September 10 we will travel to Lebanon. I have analyzed the league games & players, the Lebanese players as well. I will go also attend the Lebanon vs. Australia to closely gather data and check on the opponent.

Q)    Are you satisfied by your new players? (The ones who played in the Tunisia match)
A)    Yes I am satisfied and I have to say Maziar Zare did exactly what I have expected of him when he played in a new role in the center back position. I have full trust in him to be a reliable option. Omid Nazari played his first game and showed a good confidence and performed reasonably well.

Q)    What about About Goochinejad?

A)    Reza was available for us in the Hungary camp. He was well prepared and applied himself quite well. I was prepared to give him his first test against Tunisia. I must say that I was quite disappointed to find out on the day of the match against Tunisia that his documents were not complete. I am currently pursuing this matter personally and in constant communication with IFF President to sort his issue in order not to repeat such problems in future.

Q)    What was the issues with players that failed to join the camp in Hungary (Mohsen Forouzan and Haghighi) ?
A)    As many fans are aware and has been announced in some websites , unfortunately both players and three other administration and support staff , due to some administration issues , were denied a visa and could not travel with us e camp

 list of players does not fully reflect the technical views of the coaching team.

Q)     Recently , there has been some criticism with the list of invited  players. There were some players who performed quite well in the league but where not given a fair chance , what is your views on such claims?
A)      I think some of the comments are reasonable and fair. But unfortunately sometimes the people need to know the list of players does not fully reflect the technical views of the coaching team. When we were initially asked to name the squad, the league has not started yet! BUT, we had to give such a list two weeks ahead of commencement of the competitions. Everyone knows that we are restricted by and have to consider administrative issues and not totally base our selection on technical merits.This recent Training camp in Hungary was an example. The Hungarian Embassy required a minimum of two week for visa application. What I can assure you of, though , is that  95% of the players that I wanted were actually in the camp.

Q)    Were you satisfied from the camp and the match against Tunisia?
A)     Very satisfied . My only disappointment was the result of the match which did not reflect our form and superiority in that match.  We deserved to win.

Q)   Despite your clarification , there are still criticism that some key players are missing from your squad.

A)   We must respect those viewpoints, because in football there are so many varying opinions. But . some of those criticism were about players that were not able to get a visa on time for the camp, while other viewpoints were not creditable enough to be worthy of a response from us.

Q)   Can you elaborate on your answer ?
A)   More precisely? No , but right to the point , I can tell you that many experts in Iran’s football say things that shocks me. They talk about modern tactics and game plans why themselves do not know the Team Mell players positions. To give you an example, I will explain more about it later for those who don’t understand what I’m saying.

WAFF would be an ideal opportunity for us.

Q)    Have you made any plans for the WAFF tournament yet?
A)    Yes after my discussions with Kaffashian , we came up with a decision to have our strongest lineup for this competition , taking into consideration two main issues: .

1) We will coordinate with the League clubs coaches to ensure minimal disruption to the league program and those teams training plans during this competition.

    2) Despite selecting our strongest squad, we wish to give the opportunity for Team Melli players who have not been able to get much playing time. This would be an ideal opportunity for us.

Q)    What is your opinion about the Hazfi Cup?

A)    The Head of IFF (Kaffashian) has coordinated a meeting between the league commission and Team Melli department at which the issue of League program and Cup competition was discussed . The objective was to minimize the pressure of the matches on Team Mell preparation. The League commission declared that they will not be able to reduce the team numbers , however, and exceptional for one season , it was announced that the Hazfi Cup can be dispensed with. That was my recollection from that

 Q)    What was your personal opinion on this subject?

A)    I don’t like to be quoted in the media on such matters. If I say anything it will probably be misquoted and further misunderstanding will be created.

We can make it to Brazil if we work hard at it

Q)    What is your general opinion about TM since you have been coaching?
A)    Up until now we have had 18 games where 10 games we have won, 6 ties, and 1 loss. 40 goals scored, 10 goals conceded. Based on these results I believe that our performance could have been better. I have to say our performances against Qatar and Tunisia could have been much better but other than that I am satisfied with my team’s performance.

A)     Now that we are in the second round of qualifications what is your view on us qualifying to the world cup?
Q)      Let us not lie to ourselves and pretend that we will easily qualify. Our path to the world cup is a long one and we will experience some difficulties on our way as well as some sweet moments. The others will be facing similar difficulties as us.  I will emphasize though that WE , and I stress on the word “We” meaning a collective effort by the League clubs, coaches, etc. can make it to Brazil if we work hard at it.

Bangkok

Fifa.com

Team Melli was group with the powerful Spain in the Official Draw for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, which took place this Friday 24 August at the St. Regis Hotel in Bangkok, with guests including FIFA Executive Committee member Manilal Fernando and Local Organising Committee Chairman Suwat Lipatapallop.

The Draw was carried out by Jaime Yarza, FIFA’s Senior Manager of Futsal and Beach Soccer Competitions. Helping him were Thai boxer Somluck Kamsing, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, former Thai football international Kiatisuk ‘Zico’ Senamuang, as well as Natpimol Natthayalack and Warudthaya Wongchayapon  who finished first and third respectively at the Miss Universe Thailand 2012 competition.

This is the seventh hosting of the event and 24 countries are involved this time around, split into six groups. Hosts Thailand are in Group A and will be hoping to overcome Costa Rica, Ukraine and Paraguay to make it through to the Round of 16.

Reigning FIFA Futsal World Cup winners Brazil were the first team drawn in Group C and will face experienced opponents from three different continents in the shape of Japan, Libya and Portugal. Spain meanwhile, who on paper are the team most likely to dent the South American title-holder’s chances of a repeat performance, find themselves in Group B alongside Iran, Panama and Morocco.

Group D looks to be the most balanced of the six, with Argentina, Mexico, Italy and Australia all having the potential to make it through to the knock-out stages.

The tournament begins on 1 November with the final being held in Bangkok on 18 November. The Thai capital has three matchday venues, while Nakhon Ratchasima will also be hosting games.

The 24 participating teams were drawn in six groups of four, with the top two from each group going through to the Round of 16 along with the four best third-placed teams.

Group A: Thailand, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Paraguay
Group B: Spain, Iran, Panama, Morocco
Group C: Brazil, Japan, Libya, Portugal
Group D: Argentina, Mexico, Italy, Australia
Group E: Egypt, Serbia, Czech Republic, Kuwait
Group F: Russia, Solomon Islands, Guatemala, Colombia

The new Futsal World Cup Trophy was also presented during the Official Draw. It has been designed and created by Thomas Fattorini Ltd. in Birmingham, England and comprises five gold and five silver rods which represent two teams of five players each. It is 48 centimetres high, weighs 4.6 kilogrammes and is made up of sterling silver, stainless steel, copper, lead and zinc.

Tickets are already on sale for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, with matches being played in Bangkok (at the Bangkok Futsal Arena, the Indoor Stadium Huamark and the Nimibuth Stadium) and Nakhon Ratchasima (at the Gen. Chatchai Choonhawan Arena Nakornratchasima). For more information, click on the link on the right-hand side of the page.

BANGKOK

The draw for the 2012 Fifa Futsal World Cup in Thailand will be held on Friday.

The tournament will be held from Nov 1-18 in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima.

The four venues are Bangkok Futsal Arena, Indoor Stadium and Nimibut Stadium in Bangkok and Korat Chatchai Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima.

There will be 24 teams in the tournament and they will be divided into six four-team groups. Iran’s Team Melli was ranked third in this year’s championship held in the UAE.

The top two teams in each group plus four best third placed sides will reach the next round.

The Thai national team will play Spain in two warm-up games at Nimibut Stadium on Friday at 6pm and at Korat Chatchai Hall at 5pm on Sunday.

Tickets starting from 100 baht are available at Thai Ticket Major (www.thaiticketmajor.com).

The 24 participants are:

Europe: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Russia, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Ukraine.

Africa: Morocco, Libya and Egypt.

North and Central America: Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica.

South America: Brazil (champions), Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia

Oceania: Solomon Islands.

Asia: Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Australia and Thailand (hosts).

HO CHI MINH CITY

Iran’s youth team will be taking part in a 4 side AFF U19 TOURNAMENT 2012 which will be played in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 2 – 8 September 2012.

Under 19-year squad will line up against Australia, Uzbekistan and host Vietnam in the competition as part of their preparations for the AFC U-19 Championship which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in November, which will also serve as the qualifiers for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Turkey next June/July.
Iran have been announced as the a replacement for Thailand who announced their withdrawal for the Asean Football Federation Tournament early in August.

Alongside Iran will be hosts Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Australia which will make the tournament this year nothing short of being ultra-competitive.
Akbar Mohammady , the Team Melli U19 Youth Coach, announced the name of 26 players for the tournament. The squad will be training in the National Training Camp in Azadi until their departure to Vietnam for the tournament.

Iran U 19 SQUAD
Roozbeh Chashmi , Ali Mohsenzadeh, Alireza Ramezani  (Moghavamat Tehran)

Vahid Heydarieh (Peykan)

Mohammad Hossein Canaani Zadegan (Perspolis)

Behnam Barzay, Mohammad Borhani (Sanat Naft Abadan )

Yusuf Vakya , Walid Mashaaei zadeh, Reza Ahmadi , Ahmed Abdullah Zadeh, Amin Jehan-Kohan,  Ali Akbar Ahaki,(Foolad Khuzestan)

Sardar Azmoon, Ali Choobani, Mohammad Nasseri ,   Hossein Moradmand, Hossein Fazeli,  (Sepahan Esfahan)

Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Damash Gilan)

Farshid Esmaeili, Mohammad Daneshgar (Fajr Sepasi )

Ehsan Pahlavan (Gostarish Foolad Tabriz)

Ehsan Kiani,  Ahmad Eskandari, , Mohammad Ali Faramarzi, Davoud Bahaduri, Mohammad Hossein Heydari, Hojat Sedghi, Omid Ghorbani

AFF UNDER-19 CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES

Date Match No.   Teams                       Time  Venue
———————————————————————
2 Sept 2012  1  Australia vs Uzbekistan      1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             2  IR Iran vs Vietnam           1830
4 Sept 2012  3  Uzbekistan vs IR Iran        1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             4  Vietnam vs Australia         1830
6 Sept 2012  5  Australia vs IR Iran         1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             6  Uzbekistan vs Vietnam        1830
8 Sept 2012  7  3rd Position match           1600  Thong Nhat Stadium
             8  Final match                  1830