Iran

The Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Iran’s were the first Asian team to reach the Russia 2018 World Cup. ‘Team Melli’ eased through the initial group stage of qualifying, winning six games out of eight, and faced little difficulty in the subsequent round. Drawn in a group including Korea Republic, Syria and China, the Iranians went undefeated, winning six games out of 10, including a run of nine games without conceding. The only time their backline was breached was in the final game against Syria, which ended in a 2-2, but by which time they had already qualified.

Stars

Iran’s main man is Sardar Azmoun. Dubbed the ‘Iranian Messi’, the 23-year-old is well-known among Russian fans as a player for FC Rostov and latterly Rubin Kazan. He finished top scorer in Iran’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a total of 11 goals. Mehdi Taremi, also a striker, was just behind Azmoun with eight strikes.

Another Rostov player, Saeed Ezatolahi, spent part of the season on his domestic team’s bench before going on loan to Amkar Perm and then spending a year playing for Atletico Madrid’s C team.

Coach

Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz has been the Iranian head coach since 2011. He manged the team through the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Asian Cup, where Iran lost to Iraq in the quarter-finals. After the national team lost to Sweden in a friendly match in April 2015, Queiroz announced his resignation, but a few weeks later reversed the decision.

Queiroz is an experienced coach who has worked both with national teams and club sides. He has coached Lisbon’s Sporting CP, Real Madrid and assisted Sir Alex Ferguson at English giants Manchester United, as well as managing the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Portugal before taking the reins with Iran.

Past Achievements

Iran progressed to the group stage at the 1978 World Cup, where they played Peru, Scotland and the Netherlands. The Iranians conceded eight goals, including one own goal and four penalties. The only point the team managed to claim was in a 1-1 draw with Scotland.

After a two-decade absence, Iran again reached the World Cup in France in 1998, beating the United States in a highly-anticipated opening match but going on to lose to both Germany and Yugoslavia, which meant they were eliminated.

At Brazil 2014, Iran lost all their group games except one – against Nigeria – which ended in a goalless draw. Iran were on track to claim a creditable draw against Argentina, but Lionel Messi scored an injury time winner. Iran then went down to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their final group game.