The-afc.com
Mon, 31 March, 2025

Pattaya: Naderi Hossein was beaming with pride after Iran rewrote the history books by retaining the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup™ title on Sunday.

Iran became the first four-time champions on top of a bit of personal history after their emphatic 8-1 win against Oman in the final as Hossein hailed the immense standard within the squad.

“I need to thank each and everyone of our players,” said Hossein. “We have a good team, we are a family. It’s the first time we were able to defend our title. This trophy is for the people of Iran.”

“We have great quality but I don’t think we showed the full extent of it even with this result. 

“I said before we focus on the quality of our players. In this tournament, we are really together, we are one mind. That’s how we showed in the game.”

Man-of-the-match Ali Mirshekari joined in the praise as he and his teammates showed their full desire and commitment until the final whistle despite holding a handsome lead in the match.

“We worked non stop,” said Mirshekari who also picked up the Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer awards.

 “We weren’t thinking about the score or the time. All we were thinking is just trying to find more goals and not conceding.”

As for Oman, their gallant run in the tournament finally came to a halt but despite the defeat, head coach Talib Hilal was proud with how his players performed in the tournament, which included wins over Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

“I can say congratulations to Iran, they deserved to win the title,” said Hilal. “They were the better team today.

“My team was tired after playing three tough matches against high quality opposition in four days. Overall, it’s still good for us to be runners-up.”

“We played well but fatigue didn’t help the players. When we’re tired, we lose concentration easily and some of the goals were because of mistakes but I don’t blame them because the game was played in high intensity.”

Iran, Oman and Japan will lead Asia’s challenge at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025 in May.

Pattaya: Islamic Republic of Iran stayed on course to retain their title after defeating Saudi Arabia 6-0 in their AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup™ Thailand 2025 semi-final on Saturday.

Naderi Hossein’s side, seeking a  record-extending fourth title, will meet either Japan or Oman in the final and have also booked their ticket to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025.

With a place in the final at stake, both teams adopted a cautious approach in the opening minutes with Saudi Arabia focusing on being organised defensively to close the space down on Iran.

There were half-chances with Iran’s Seyed Nazem having a shot blocked by Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mohammed Alajmi while at the other end, custodian Seyedmahdi Mirjalili stopped an effort from Khalid Mudhaya.

The deadlock was broken in the seventh minute when Iran substitute keeper Seyemohammad Dastan showed his accuracy from distance, rifling a volley into the top corner beyond Alajmi’s outstretched hands.

Sensing their moment, Iran doubled their advantage two minutes later as they opened up Saudi Arabia’s defence for the first time in the game, allowing Nazem the chance to smash an overhead strike home.

Saudi Arabia showed more attacking intent in the second period with an Eslam Hussei effort that bounced just over the bar while Majed Shamhani forced Mirjalili into a low save to his left, but their inability to put away their chances were punished by Iran late in the period.

Movahed Mohammadpour found Ali Mishekari in the space in the 22nd minute and the Iranian forward accepted the invitation to power in an overhead strike to score his ninth goal of the campaign.

Iran kept up their intensity in the third period as they added further goals through Mohammad Masoumizadeh (27th), Dastan (31st) and Mirshekari (36th) to seal their passage to the final.

Despite the defeat, Saudi Arabia will keep their eye on the ball for the third place playoff on Sunday which offers a spot in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to the winners.

US Soccer President Dismisses Rumors of Visa Issues for Iran’s Team Melli at FIFA World Cup 2026

Since Team Melli’s early qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026, speculation has been swirling about potential political interference in the team’s participation. A particularly controversial rumor suggests that US President Donald Trump might refuse to grant entry visas to the Iranian squad unless Iran agrees to US-imposed conditions in nuclear negotiations.

While such a move would not be unprecedented given past diplomatic tensions between the two nations, the US Soccer Federation appears determined to separate politics from the game. Cindy Parlow Cone, the President of US Soccer, has taken a firm stance against these rumors. In a message to Mehdi Taj, the President of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), she congratulated Team Melli on their qualification and extended a warm welcome to the Iranian team, emphasizing that the US is committed to hosting an inclusive and fair tournament.

Iran’s relationship with the FIFA World Cup has had its share of political hurdles. The last time the tournament was held in the United States, in 1994, Iran was absent after failing to qualify. However, when the two nations faced off in the 1998 World Cup in France, the match became one of the most politically charged games in World Cup history. Despite the tension, both teams exchanged flowers and took a joint team photo in a rare moment of sports diplomacy.

With World Cup 2026 set to take place across the US, Canada, and Mexico, Iran’s qualification marks an opportunity for football to transcend politics once again. While international relations remain complex, the words of US Soccer’s leadership suggest that Team Melli will be welcomed on sporting merit rather than diplomatic terms. For now, Iranian fans can focus on the tournament ahead, hoping their team will make history on North American soil.