Italian Gagliardi joins Iran’s coaching staff
Italian coach Antonio Gagliardi has joined the coaching staff of the Iranian national team, the country’s Football Federation announced on Saturday.
Gagliardi, 42, served as a chief analyst at the Italian national team across different spells under several former head coaches, including Cesare Prandelli, Antonio Conte, and Roberto Mancini, and was part of the coaching staff when the latter led the Azzurri to glory at the Euro 2020.
The Italian also worked as a technical coach with Andrea Pirlo during his reign at Juventus in the 2021/22 season – the same role he held when Mancini was in charge of Suadi Arabia during below-par campaigns at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Gagliardi’s most recent role was as assistant manager to Romanian Cristian Chivu at Parma in Serie A last season.
The Italian will join Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei ahead of the upcoming international break, when Team Melli will take part in a four-team friendly tournament in Al Ain, UAE — also featuring Uzbekistan, Egypt, and Cape Verde.
Iran will face Cape Verde on Thursday, with the winner taking on Egypt or Uzbekistan the following Tuesday.
The tournament will be part of Iran’s preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – starting June 11 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Iran secured a seventh appearance at the finals – fourth in a row – thanks to a top-spot finish in Group A of the Asian qualifiers last June.
Cape Verde, meanwhile, capped off a fairytale run in the African qualifiers by defeating Eswatini 3-0 in October to clinch its maiden World Cup berth, becoming the second smallest country in the tournament’s history.