Women’s Team Melli set for new era under Ja’fari
Iranian women’s national football team will embark on a new era under Marziyeh Ja’fari, who was appointed as the Team Melli head coach on Wednesday.
Ja’fari took over from Maryam Azmoun after a dreadful run of results saw Iran fail to win a single game in 12 outings across different competitions – suffering eight defeats, while finding the back of the net only twice in the process.
Ja’fari will be looking to build on a decorated career in the Iranian club football to turn the national team’s fortune around.
The 42-year-old is the most decorated coach in the Iranian Women’s Pro League with a remarkable 11 titles on Bam Khatoon’s bench.
She also led her team to an impressive last-eight spot at the inaugural AFC Women’s Champions League in March, before Khatoon suffered a 1-0 loss to South Korea’s Incheon Red Angels in March.
A first major test for Ja’fari will come in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers – starting June 23 in Amman, Jordan – where Iran is drawn in Group A, alongside the host, Lebanon, Singapore, and Bhutan.
Iran will begin its qualification campaign against Singapore on June 26, before taking on Bhutan, Lebanon, and Jordan, respectively, until July 5.
Only one team from the group will progress to the 2026 finals in Australia.