Italy repechage to World Cup, Iran announces its choices: situation precipitates

This is it: Iran has released the list of 26 players called up for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico. After various vicissitudes and with the visa problem always looming, technical commissioner Ghalenoei has made his choice by selecting the players called to participate in the World Cup.

Iran is expected to play in Group G against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, and its matches are scheduled in Los Angeles (the first two) and Seattle (the third with Egypt). On ‘Team Melli’s’ adventure in America there is always the huge shadow of the ongoing war just with the U.S., which makes everything precarious.

Particularly in the last few hours, the situation in the Middle East has escalated again, with Tehran announcing a suspension of negotiations with the U.S. and a clampdown on Hormuz and also on Bab el-Mandeb, on the Red Sea. Under these circumstances, thinking about Iran’s participation in the World Cup seems almost impossible.

Turning to soccer, there is one excellent exclusion in Iran, albeit an expected one: that of striker Sardar Azmoun, who scored 57 times in the national team’s jersey. The player had been excluded in March: he was reportedly expelled for an “act of disloyalty” against the government. On the other hand, former Inter Milan player Medhi Taremi, now at Olympiacos, will be there regularly.

Keepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Hossein Hosseini (Sepahan), Payam Niazmand (Persepolis)
Defenders: Danial Eiri (Malavan), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Hossein Kanaani (Persepolis), Shoja Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Nemati Omid Noorafkan (Foolad), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)
Central midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mehdi Ghaedi (Al-Nassr), Saman Ghoddos (Kalba), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al-Wahda), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), Mohammad Mohebi (Rostov), Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia (Esteghlal), Mehdi Torabi (Tractor), Aria Yousefi (Sepahan)
Forwards: Alipour (Persepolis), Dennis Dargahi (Standard Liege), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Shahriyar Moghanlou (Kalba), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos)