Taremi omitted as Iran names new-look squad for Basra tournament
Al Wasl striker Mehdi Taremi headlines a list of high-profile absentees after Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei named a youthful, revamped 29-man squad for the November international break.
Iran will take on Palestine in a friendly tournament in Basra, Iraq, on Saturday before facing the host nation the following Tuesday.
The event was originally intended to serve as part of Iran’s preparations for next January’s AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. However, the Asian Football Confederation postponed the tournament until December 2027 amid security concerns in the region, following an escalation in the conflict involving Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Ansarullah movement.
With the flagship continental competition pushed back by 11 months, Qalenoei and his coaching staff have decided to inject fresh blood into the national team. The move comes after growing scrutiny of Iran’s aging squad, which was the second-oldest at June’s FIFA World Cup.
The new squad reflects “the coaching staff’s belief in the need for a generational transition, as they look to pave the way for younger players and assess emerging talent in Iranian football. It is a process that is not being put off until some distant future but is already taking shape at this training camp,” the Iranian Football Federation said on Monday.
“The coaching staff’s approach during the current FIFA international window is to give younger players more opportunities and assess their abilities in the international matches in Iraq.
“The plan was initially due to be implemented at the previous training camp but was postponed until the current gathering following coordination between the senior national team’s coaching staff and the U23 team, whose young players took part in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.
“Accordingly, the coaching staff have decided to leave out several experienced members of the national team from the current camp to create more opportunities for younger players to feature and be assessed.
“The decision has been made solely as part of the technical plans for the current training camp and should not be interpreted as a change in the status or role of experienced players in the national team’s future plans,” the statement added.
Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, who is shortlisted for the AFC Player of the Year award to be announced later this month, has also been left out, along with veteran defenders Ehsan Hajsafi, Shoja Khalilzadeh and Ramin Rezaeian.
Meanwhile, Adib Zarei and Esmaeil Qolizadeh have earned their first international call-ups under Qalenoei.
The following is Iran’s 29-man squad for the two friendlies in Basra:
Goalkeepers: Payam Niazmand (Persepolis), Habib Farabbasi (Esteghlal), Mohammad Khalifeh (Aluminium Arak), Adib Zarei (Shams Azar)
Defenders: Ali Nemati (Lusail), Mohammad-Mahdi Zare’ (Persepolis), Aref Aqasi (Esteghlal), Saman Fallah (Esteghlal), Amin Hazbavi (Sepahan), Abolfazl Razzaqour (Foolad Khuzestan), Hossein Goudarzi (Esteghlal), Jafar Salmani (Al Talaba), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Aria Yousefi (Sepahan)
Midfielders: Mohammad Qorbani (Al Wahda), Amirmohammad Razzaqinia (Esteghlal), Omid Nourafkan (Sepahan), Mohammad-Javad Hosseinnejad (Dynamo Makhachkala), Saeid Ezzatollahi (Shabab Al Ahli), Esmaeil Qolizadeh (Esteghlal), Mahdi Limouchi (Sepahan), Afshin Sadeqi (Nassaji Mazandaran), Amirhossein Farsi (Khaybar), Mohammad Mohebbi (HNK Rijeka), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Mohammad-Mahdi Mohebbi (Persepolis)
Strikers: Sardar Azmoun (Shabab Al Ahli), Kasra Taheri (Sepahan), Dennis Eckert Dargahi (Standard de Liège).