Tag: South Africa

Team Melli chances in the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The path to glory will be set on Friday, December 5th, 2025, as the draw for the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 takes place. For the 42 qualified nations, the ceremony will be a pivotal moment of excitement and strategy, defining their tournament destiny.

The Qualified Contingent
The field is nearly complete, with six final spots still to be decided via playoffs.

  • Hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA
  • AFC (Asia): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan
  • CAF (Africa): Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
  • CONCACAF: Curaçao, Haiti, Panama
  • CONMEBOL (South America): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
  • OFC (Oceania): New Zealand
  • UEFA (Europe): Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

The Draw Pots
Based on the latest FIFA Rankings (November 2025), teams have been allocated into four pots. Iran finds itself in the highly competitive Pot 2.

Pot 1: Canada (45), Mexico (15), USA (11), Spain (1), Argentina (2), France (3), England (4), Brazil (5), Portugal (6), Netherlands (7), Belgium (8), Germany (9)

Pot 2: Croatia (10), Morocco (12), Colombia (13), Uruguay (14), Switzerland (16), Japan (17), Senegal (18), Iran (20), Korea Republic (22), Ecuador (23), Austria (24), Australia (25)

Pot 3: Norway (26), Panama (27), Egypt (28), Algeria (29), Scotland (30), Paraguay (31), Tunisia (32), Côte d’Ivoire (33), Uzbekistan (34), Qatar (35), Saudi Arabia (36), South Africa (37)

Pot 4: Jordan (38), Cabo Verde (39), Ghana (40), Curaçao (41), Haiti (42), New Zealand (43), + 6 Playoff Winners (TBD)

Team Melli's Dream Scenario

For Iran, ranked 20th globally, the draw strategy is clear: secure the weakest possible opponent from Pot 1, a manageable team from Pot 3, and the most favorable draw from Pot 4, all while navigating strict confederation rules that prevent two AFC teams (like Iran and Saudi Arabia) from sharing a group.

  • Ideal Pot 1 Draw: Canada. As the lowest-ranked host, it presents the most beatable top-seed scenario. A European side like Germany or Belgium would be preferable to facing a South American powerhouse like Argentina or Brazil.
  • Ideal Pot 3 Draw: A non-AFC, non-South American opponent. Panama (CONCACAF) or an African side like South Africa or Cabo Verde would offer a more balanced matchup than a technical CONMEBOL team like Paraguay.
  • Ideal Pot 4 Draw: New Zealand (OFC). A familiar foe Iran has historically outperformed, it represents the "kindest" draw from the final pot.

Example "Dream Group":

  • Canada (Pot 1 – [45] CONCACAF)
  • Iran (Pot 2 – [20] AFC)
  • South Africa (Pot 3 – [37] CAF)
  • New Zealand (Pot 4 – [43] OFC)

Why it works: This combination respects all confederation limits and pairs Iran with the most favorable host, a struggling African nation, and an Oceanic side they have never lost to. It is the clearest path to a top-two finish and a historic knockout-stage berth.

Team Melli's Nightmare Scenario

Conversely, the "Group of Death" would see Iran pitted against elite teams from multiple powerhouses.

  • Nightmare Pot 1 Draw: France or Argentina. Their world-class talent could overwhelm Iran's disciplined structure.
  • Nightmare Pot 3 Draw: Colombia. The most dangerous "floating" team in the pot, boasting creativity and pressure that can break down any defense.
  • Nightmare Pot 4 Draw: A strong European playoff winner, such as Poland or Sweden, slotting into the final spot.

Example "Group of Death":

  • France (Pot 1 – UEFA)
  • Iran (Pot 2 – AFC)
  • Colombia (Pot 3 – CONMEBOL)
  • Poland* (Pot 4 – UEFA)
    (Assuming Poland wins a UEFA playoff)*

Why it’s a nightmare: Two elite European sides with contrasting styles—France's flair and Poland's physicality—combined with a top South American contender. Every match would be a brutal battle for survival.

The Strategic Bottom Line for Iran

The confederation restrictions add a critical layer of complexity. Iran's ideal path hinges on two key events during the draw:

  1. Landing Canada from Pot 1.
  2. Seeing the potent South American teams from Pot 3 (like Paraguay) drawn into other groups before Iran's is finalized.

While the dream scenario offers a realistic chance to advance, the nightmare draw would require a heroic effort to secure even a single point. All will be revealed on December 5th, when hope and fear collide in Washington.

Rogério Paulo Cesar de Sá confirmed as assistant to Queiroz

The South African coach Rogério Paulo Cesar de Sá has been confirmed as the first assistant to Carlos Queiroz in Team Melli coaching Team. The former Orlando Pirates coach also acted as South Africa's goalkeeping coach during Carlos Queiroz's reign and, in September 2021, was recruited by Queiroz to join him as Assistant Coach to the Egyptian national football team. de Sá, confirmed his presence in Team Melli in an interview today and said:" Team Melli will start work on Tuesday and then travel to Austria, where they will play a friendly match with Uruguay and Senegal. We will start training with the team on Wednesday and Thursday.  We will train again on Saturday and then we will fly to Austria where we will play against those two teams in a friendly international. Then we will return to Iran and continue working with the team there." The newly appointed coach of Iran's national football team emphasized: "These two games will give us a good idea of the standard of the players. I might fly to Europe to watch some players with their clubs and we'll probably train in Dubai a week before we go to the World Cup in Qatar." Rogério de Sá who was on the bench of the Egyptian national team when he first worked with Queiroz, referring to the problems and challenges ahead for the World Cup said "the heat and humidity of Qatar will be a challenge for many players in the tournament. We have a short time to prepare which is not ideal. Ideally, we should have been there in Iran for a year at least but Carlos knows the team well and the players know him too because he coached them in the last two World Cups." de Sá is looking forward to working with the Iranian players and getting to know them in the coming weeks. He stated: "When I became a coach, the number one priority was that I am human and so is the player. I think Carlos is the same. I think many coaches forget this. I might coach them for a year or two, but we can be friends until we die. " Roger announced that he will be with Iran's national team for one or two years because the Football Federation has not confirmed its plans regarding Carlos Queiroz after the end of the World Cup. First, Mehdi Taj, the president of FFIRI announced in his press conference that the Federation's plan is that Queiroz to become the Technical Manager of the national team after the World Cup and that the team will participate in the 2023 Asian Nations Cup under the head coach of Javad Nekonam. While Mehdi Mohammadnabi, the general secretary of the federation, said that Iran will probably be coached in AFC Asian Cup with Queiroz on the bench! Take your pick on whom to believe.

Iran cancel Bafana Bafana friendly plan – SAFA’s Motlanthe

South Africa Football Association Chief Executive Officer Tebogo Motlanthe has confirmed Iran have canceled plans to play Bafana Bafana in a friendly match in the FIFA international break of June.

SAFA CEO Advocate Tebogo Motlanthe.

The Cosafa nation had proposed to engage them on their way back home after their Afcon qualifier against the Atlas Lions

Safa had proposed to face the Middle East nation – in Doha, Qatar - after their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Morocco on Thursday in Rabat.

"We had done all the paperwork with Iran where we were even asked to send the players’ passports. But later they came back to say they were unable to play us," Motlanthe said, as per Sowetan Live.

"They said that through agents. And of course, because of their late cancellation we, unfortunately, do not have any friendly for this window period."

The cancellation of the friendly means the 1996 Afcon champions will only play one game in June.

They were initially scheduled to face Morocco and Zimbabwe in this month's Afcon qualifiers, but the latter were barred by CAF from participation since they are under FIFA suspension. The other member of Group K are Liberia, who South Africa will face in September.

Motlanthe, who is in Morocco with the national team, added the federation will wait for head coach Hugo Broos to give his plan for the next international break.

"But the coach has promised to submit his September program, which will include friendlies," he concluded.

The cancelation of the South Africa match once again puts into question FFIRI plans, scheduling, and support for Team Melli. This is now the fourth Friendly international match that Team Melli has been deprived of due to one reason or another/. The unique difference with the South Africa game is that Iran has unilaterally canceled the match, while in Canada's case it was the opponents that canceled.

Iran is scdule to play against Algeria on 12th June in Doha, the only friendly arranged in haste in this unusually long FIFA day.

Team Melli to meet Algeria in Doha

Team Melli, currently in a training camp in Qatar, Qatar is scheduled to meet with Algeria as announced by the Football Federation of Algeria.

Iran has previously held talks with several African football federations, including Congo, Cameroon, and Algeria, to play a preparatory game on FIFA Day in June. South Africa was also the latest possible opponent of Iran, which, with the announcement of its head coach, planned to play against our national team on June 14 in Doha.

However, it seems that the meeting with Algeria in Qatar has been decided for the Team Melli and Iran can have at least one friendly international game. This is the news announced by "Salah Bi-Abboud", the director of communications and public relations of the Algerian Football Federation. "What is certain is that Algeria will play against Iran in Doha on June 12," he told Algerian National Radio. There is an agreement between the two teams. We are waiting for the formalization of affairs at the level of organization and logistics." The director of communications of the Algerian federation announced that after the official announcement, this news will be published on the website of the Algerian federation.

Tow previous games vs Canada in Vancouver and Ecuador were scheduled in Canada, but political interference lead to the unilateral cancellation of the match by pressure from the Canadian government. Next, Iran planned to travel to Uruguay and play with the national team of this country; This did not materialize due to the difficult logistics and objection of Iran's head coach Dragan Skočić.

FFIRI has not confirmed the news of Algeria match.

Carlos Queiroz to quit after the World Cup 2018

Source: Reuters

Carlos Queiroz will not remain at the helm of Iran after the conclusion of the country's involvement in the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

Former Real Madrid coach Queiroz, who has been in charge of Team Melli since April 2011, had been offered an extension to his contract by the Iranian Football Federation until January's Asian Cup finals in the United Arab Emirates.
But the 65-year-old has decided to call time on his seven-year stint with Iran after the FIFA World Cup, where they have been drawn to take on Morocco, Spain and Portugal in Group B. "It's almost one year since we qualified for the World Cup and it's true that they gave me an offer to go for six months to the Asian Cup in the Emirates, but it didn't meet my expectations," Queiroz said by telephone from his team's training camp in Turkey.
"After all these years, for the Iranian federation to only extend the contract for six months is a decision that shows no appreciation or recognition for what I've done. It's an offer that isn't acceptable from my point of view. "The negotiations are closed, they are behind me. "Before we came here to Istanbul the federation was supposed to review the position and they did not come back to me, so from now on it's time to move forward." Queiroz had considered retiring after the FIFA World Cup to spend more time with his family, but now wants to become the first coach to secure qualification for the FIFA World Cup finals on five occasions. Brazilian Carlos Alberto Pereira and Serbian Bora Milutinovic have coached five times at the FIFA World Cup, with both taking charge of teams that had either qualified as hosts or stepped in as replacement coaches for already qualified nations. Queiroz, however, qualified South Africa for the FIFA World Cup in 2002 only to step down from his position before the finals in Japan and Korea. He then led Portugal to the 2010 tournament in South Africa before becoming the first coach to secure back-to-back FIFA World Cup appearances with Iran, and he is keen to lead another country to the finals in Qatar in 2022. "After all these years in Iran there was the possibility that I would retire after the World Cup," said Queiroz. "But, in the meantime, the dissatisfaction at not qualifying for a fifth World Cup started to grow. "It started to speak louder and the more I started to think more about that unique historical opportunity, to be the only coach in football history to have five World Cup qualifications under my belt, my anger and desire started to grow and this is now my main goal and my expectation. "I've had two offers, one from Africa and one from Asia with the chance to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, and if that doesn't happen then I can look at one or two options that I have in England after the World Cup."

Queiroz or Renard, who is getting the Bafana job?

2017-03-01

 
Carlos Queiroz. (AFP)
 

Cape Town - The South African Football Association (SAFA) has reportedly trimmed the Bafana Bafana head coach candidate list down to two names.

According to the SowetanLIVE website, Herve Renard and Carlos Queiroz are said to be the only choices for the Bafana Bafana hot seat.

Renard is currently the head coach of Morocco, while Queiroz's contract with Iran has not been renewed.

Queiroz, who previously coached Bafana Bafana between 2000-2002, is said to be SAFA's first choice.

However, Renard will get the nod for the job if the organisation cannot meet the demands of Queiroz.

SAFA will have to cough up around R20m to pin down Queiroz into a deal as that is the estimated amount the former Manchester United assistant coach earned as Iran head coach.

Reports suggest that Queiroz’s representatives will want SAFA to either match or better the sum he earned in the Middle East.

On Monday, (February 27) the official Bafana Bafana Twitter account revealed images of a meeting between the selectors who will chose the next coach.

“Finalising naming of new Bafana Bafana coach at SAFA House,” read the tweet.

Pictured in the meeting was Bafana Bafana legend Lucas Radebe along with SAFA president Danny Jordaan and Farouk Khan.

SAFA spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi earlier this week exclusively revealed to Sport24 that the association is “almost” close to making an announcement.

The Bafana Bafana job has been vacant since December 2016 after SAFA sacked Shakes Mashaba.

The national football governing body is expected to make the announcement before the end of the week.

Team Melli routs Platinum Stars 6-0

Team Melli defeated Platinum Stars 6-0 in its final preparation match of its training camp in Johannesburg , South Africa.

Mohammad Nouri scored a hat trick, while Habib Gordani, Masoud Hassanzadeh, and Sajjad Shahbazadeh scored a goal each to complete the rout against the bottom of the table South African First Division team . Platinum Stars played a league match on Saturday against Free State Stars and lost 3-1. For the match against Team Melli , mostly reserve players were utilized by the struggling South african team.

South-Africa-friendly-ornado-pirates-2

This match concludes the weak and low-key preparations by Team Melli in South Africa.  While almost all the legionnaires who are expected to form the bulk of the team line up are absent , except for Azmoun, the federation failed to arrange any quality opposition to test these players against strong teams which Iran will be facing in Australia. The 3 breadcrumb friendlies were mostly due to personal contacts of Carlos Queiroz , however none of the South African clubs were prepared to field their strongest side due to league programs commitments and the upcoming festive seasons holidays.

Team Melli is scheduled to return to Tehran on December 24th. The next friendly before the AFC Asian Cup 2015 will be against Palestine.

South-Africa-friendly-ornado-pirates-1

Second win for Team Melli against Pirates reserves

 Team Melli defeated Orlando Pirates’ reserves 3-1 in a friendly in Johannesburg, South Africa on Friday.

The Sepahan contingent managed to score all the goals of Team Melli in the match. Ehsan Hajsafi was on target twice in the 47th and 70th minutes helping himself to a brace while Mehdi Sharifi scored in the 61st minute. Orlando Pirates pulled a goal back in the 75th minute. A group of about 30 Iranians mostly families residing in Johannesburg attended the match to cheer for Iran. Team Melli was held 3-3 against the South African football club in April as part of the preparations for the 2014 World Cup. Iran had defeated Kaizer Chiefs reserves 2-0 on Wednesday. The Asian Cup will kick off in Australia on January 9, with Iran playing Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE in Group C. Team Melli is scheduled to play against Palestine on December 28 in Tehran before departing to Australia. Team Melli will meet Iraq in another friendly in Australia six days before their opening match against Bahrain.

Zimbabwe friendly match turned down.

As part of the preparation for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 , the FFIRI seemed to have arranged a rare friendly match with Zimbabwe in Tehran. However , for reasons that are only known to the federation , this friendly like many others in the last few years has been cancelled. It is presumed , it must have something to do with money or lack of it by the federation.

On hearing that Iran is setting a training camp next door in South Africa, and to compensate for the cancelled match in Azadi , the Zimbabwe Football Federation wrote to its Iranian counterpart offering an alternative by  suggesting a friendly match in Johannesburg on 22nd December, as reported by ISNA. The Zimbabweans stated in the letter that it will forgo the standard match fees but needs the Iranians to pay for the logistics of the squad only (Air fare and Hotel accommodations) , FFIRI calculated the amount to be approximately US$ 40,000 which it considers to be excessive and above its capability , hence it declined the offer from the African country.

FFIRI is actively looking at South African sides for friendly matches at the camp provided it costs nothing or a small fee at best.

Team Melli program: South African camp is on, Palestine match finalized.

IMG_7502-635358276492748077.JPG
General Secretary of the Football Association, said they have not been able to find a national or club side to play friendly preparatory games against  in South Africa while Palestine game in Azadi is confirmed. Mohammad MohammadNabi was commenting on the latest plans for Team Melli including the training camp in South Africa which he said is now finalized and will commence on 14th December. He added that after the national team's training camp and on return from South Africa, the players will rest for 2 days and  according to the current program , Team Melli will play the Palestinian national team  in Azadi on the 28th December. After that following a two days rest , the team  will fly to Australia for the final phase of preparation and training just before the AFC Asian Cup commences..