Iran names 26-man squad for 2026 World Cup
Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei on Monday named a 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup, with Team Melli set to head to North America carrying a blend of experienced stars, domestic standouts and overseas-based players.
The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, is the first World Cup expanded to 48 teams.
Veteran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand headlines Iran’s goalkeeping unit alongside Hossein Hosseini and Payam Niazmand.
In defense, Ghalenoei selected Ehsan Hajsafi, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Danial Iri, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Mohammad Hossein Kanaani, Saleh Hardani and Ramin Rezaeian.
The midfield group features Aria Yousefi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Saeid Ezatolahi, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Amir Mohammad Razaghnia, Mohammad Mohebi, Mohammad Ghorbani and Mehdi Ghayedi.
Up front, Iran will rely on Saman Ghoddos, Mehdi Torabi, Ali Alipour, Shahriar Moghanlou, Dennis Dargahi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh and star striker Mehdi Taremi.
Nine players in the squad currently play abroad, while the remainder come from clubs in Iran’s top flight. Esteghlal, Persepolis and Tractor each have four representatives in the final roster, the highest total among domestic clubs.
The coaching staff also named Mohammad Khalifeh and Omid Noorafkan on a standby list. Both players will travel with the team and could replace an injured member up to 24 hours before the tournament begins.
Iran have been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand, with all three of their group-stage matches scheduled to be played in the United States.
The team opens its World Cup campaign against New Zealand on June 15 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, just outside Los Angeles.
Off the field, however, preparations remain complicated. Iran had originally planned to base itself in Tucson, Arizona, but later moved its World Cup training camp and headquarters to Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, Mexico.
The relocation comes as the squad continues to wait for US visas ahead of the tournament.
Iran’s Ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, who visited Tijuana on May 28, said the team had not yet received visas to enter the United States and argued that Iran would not be competing under “equal conditions” because of difficulties surrounding its preparations before the tournament.