Amir Ghalenoei has announced the final list of players who will travel to Mexico and then the USA for the 2026 World Cup matches. As expected, the squad contains few surprises, largely consisting of the same familiar names that have represented Iran for many years.

Although several young players showed promise during the training camp in Turkey, it was inevitable that Ghalenoei would leave them out once the final roster was published. Kasra Taher, Amir Mahmoudi, Omid Noorafkan, and Mohammad Khalifeh were the ones omitted.

The final squad carries a strong flavor of experience, though the average age is notably high compared to other teams in the tournament. On a more positive note, the team’s collective goal-scoring record stands out. Most players have found the net for the national team, and the defenders have been particularly impressive in that regard. Between them, the defenders have scored 24 goals, compared to 45 from midfielders and 78 from forwards. However, the forwards’ tally is misleading, as it is heavily inflated by Mehdi Taremi’s exceptional record. If the Olympiacos forward’s contributions are removed, the rest of the forward line has scored just 18 goals combined.

What these numbers do not reveal is current form and quality. Despite some questionable selections—such as the inclusion of Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Shahriyar Moghanlou, and the unproven Dennis Dargahi (also known as Eckert)—the team remains an experienced group capable of going head-to-head with opponents like New Zealand and Egypt. Belgium, on the other hand, is in a different class altogether.

New Zealand will be a tough opener, capable of springing a surprise or two. As the first match of the tournament, it represents either a golden opportunity if Iran secures a positive result or a potential disaster if Team Melli loses. On paper, Iran is well capable of defeating the Kiwis, but that will require organization and tight, compact defending.

Player selection for this match will be crucial. Given the lack of quality up front, Iran may need the trickery of someone like Mehdi Ghaedi to weave through the All-Whites’ defense.

The midfield, however, remains a question mark. In a match like this, Saeid Ezatollahi and Saman Ghoddos must step up and be counted. Much will depend on their dynamism and ball distribution, while Ezatollahi, in particular, needs to be at his best in defensive duties.

Despite a dip in form, Alireza Beiranvand remains the best of the three goalkeepers. Payam Niazmand had a poor season, conceding soft goals, while Hossein Hosseini, despite a few encouraging performances, has lacked consistency.

	TM SQUAD WC 2026
	NAME	POST	AGE	CAPS	GOALS	CLUB	HEIGHT	WEIGHT
1	Hossein Hosseini	G	33	14		Sepahan	188	81
2	Alireza Beiranvand	G	33	86		Tractor	196	83
3	Payam Niazmand	G	31	15		Persepolis	196	89
	DEFENDERS
4	Shoja Khalilzadeh	D	37	57	2	Tractor	178	74
5	Ehsan Hajsafi	D	36	143	7	Sepahan	178	82
6	Ramin Rezaeian	D	36	73	6	Esteghlal	183	73
7	Milad Mohammadi	D	32	76	1	Persepolis	178	69
8	Hossein Kanani	D	32	64	6	Persepolis	185	88
9	Ali Nemati	D	30	17		Foolad	183	77
10	Saleh Hardani	D	27	17	1	Esteghlal	175	67
11	Aria Yousefi	D	24	13	1	Sepahan	180	73
12	Danial Iri	D	22	0		Malavan	185	79
13	Saeid Ezatolahi	M	29	83	1	Shabab Al-Ahli (UAE)	191	88
14	Mehdi Torabi	M	31	52	7	Tractor	180	73
15	Saman Ghoddos	M	32	67	3	Ittihad Kalba (UAE)	175	78
16	Rouzbeh Cheshmi	M	32	41	3	Esteghlal	194	81
17	Mohammad Mohebi	M	27	36	14	FC Rostov (RUS)	185	83
18	Mohammad Ghorbani	M	24	15		Al Wahda (UAE)	185	82
19	Amir Razzaghinia	M	20	3		Esteghlal	188	82
20	Alireza Jahanbakhsh	M	32	99	17	Dender EH (BEL)	180	78
21	Mehdi Taremi	F	33	105	60	Olympiakos (GRE)	185	82
22	Ali Alipour	F	30	13	1	Persepolis	180	69
23	Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh	F	25	18	5	Tractor	178	72
24	Dennis Eckert Dargahi	F	29	0	0	Standard Liège (BEL)	183	79
25	Shahriyar Moghanlou	F	31	20	2	Ittihad Kalba (UAE)	192	84
26	Mehdi Ghayedi	F	27	28	10	Al-Naser (UAE)	165	58
	Averages		30	21	10		176.5	69.6