World Cup Asian qualifiers:
Iran names squad for Uzbekistan, Qatar games
Head coach Amir Qalenoei named Iran’s 27-man squad for the upcoming matches against Uzbekistan and Qatar in the World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Iran will play away to Uzbekistan in Tashkent’s Bunyodkor Stadium on Thursday before hosting Qatar at the Imam Reza Stadium in Mashhad five days later.
Uzbekistan and Iran are the top two in Group A of the qualifiers with six points after two rounds of matches – separated by the number of goals scored – with Asian champion Qatar in fifth place of the six-team table with one point.
Mahdi Taremi’s first-half strike saw Iran edge out Kyrgyzstan 1-0 at home in September before Mahdi Qayedi scored the only goal of the game as Qalenoei’s side defeated the United Arab Emirates in Al Ain.
The top two of each of the three groups will qualify for the 2026 World Cup – cohosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada – with the third and fourth teams heading into the fourth round of the qualifiers – featuring two three-team groups.
Persepolis center-back Hossein Kan’anizadegan will miss the double-header due to a knee injury he suffered during the 1-0 win against Chadormalou in the Persian Gulf Pro League on Saturday.
Tractor winger Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, the leading marksman in the Iranian top flight with four goals, has been named in the squad and will be hoping to make a first international appearance in two years.
Golgohar defender Mohammad-Mahdi Zare’ has received a first international call-up after helping his team register five clean sheets in six domestic league outings, while Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who has been without a team since leaving Feyenoord in July, is also in the list.
The following is Iran’s full squad:
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Payam Niazmand (Sepahan), Seyyed Hossein Hosseini (Esteghlal)
Defenders: Shoja Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Arya Yousefi (Sepahan), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Ne’mati (Foolad Khuzestan), Mohammad Daneshgar (Sepahan), Mohammad-Amin Hazbavi (Sepahan), Mohammad-Mahdi Zare’ (Golgohar Sirjan), Saleh Hardani (Sepahan), Abolfazl Jalali (Esteghlal)
Midfielders: Saeed Ezzatollahi (Shabab Al Ahli), Mohammad Karimi (Sepahan), Mohammad Qorbani (FC Orenburg), Mohammad-Javad Hosseinnejad (Dinamo Makhachkala), Saman Qoddous (Ittihad Kalba), Omid Nourafkan (Malavan), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (-), Mohammad Mohebbi (FC Rostov), Mahdi Qayedi (Ittihad Kalba), Mahdi Torabi (Tractor), Ali Qolizadeh (Lech Poznan), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor)
Strikers: Mahdi Taremi (Internazionale), Sardar Azmoun (Shabab Al Ahli), Shahriar Moghanlou (Ittihad Kalba).