Iran will be aiming to secure a first-ever knockout stage spot at a World Cup as they compete at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Carlos Queiroz's side face one of the shortest travels from any of the competing nations, as the World Cup heads to the Middle East for the first time. They will be backed by a horde of travelling fans as a result.
After finishing as the top Asian qualifier for the competition, confidence has quietly grown over Iran being able to pull off an upset.
As part of Group B, alongside England, Wales and the United States, Iran will fancy their chances of potentially ending their last-16 frustration.
WORLD CUP 2022 SELECTED SQUADS:
Australia | Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon
Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | England
France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico
Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Senegal
Serbia | Spain | Switzerland | Uruguay | USA | Wales
Iran World Cup roster
Here's the final squad announced by head coach Carlos Queiroz ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite a 26-man limit to World Cup rosters, Queiroz has decided to only bring 25 players to the tournament, including four goalkeepers.
Injured attacker Sardar Azmoun was included on the roster, despite a calf problem. Reports ahead of the roster release suggested that Queiroz was under pressure to exclude players who have spoken out in support of the recent protests in the nation, including Azmoun, but, if true, he has clearly resisted that pressure.
There is no place for Al Wakrah midfielder Omid Ebrahimi, who suffered an injury in a friendly against Nicaragua just a few days before the tournament.
Iran World Cup 2022 Squad
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 22 | Amir Abedzadeh | Ponferradina (SPA) | 29 | 1 |
| GK | 1 | Alireza Beiranvand | Persepolis (IRA) | 30 | 51 |
| GK | 24 | Hossein Hosseini | Esteghlal (IRA) | 30 | 5 |
| GK | 12 | Payam Niazmand | Persepolis (IRA) | 27 | 1 |
| DEF | 15 | Roozbeh Cheshmi | Esteghlal (IRA) | 34 | 18 |
| DEF | 3 | Ehsan Hajsafi | AEK Athens (GRE) | 30 | 121 |
| DEF | 19 | Majid Hosseini | Kayserispor (TUR) | 26 | 18 |
| DEF | 25 | Abolfazl Jalali | Esteghlal (IRA) | 25 | 2 |
| DEF | 13 | Hossein Kanaani | Al Ahli (QAT) | 27 | 34 |
| DEF | 4 | Shoja Khalilzadeh | Al Ahli (QAT) | 25 | 24 |
| DEF | 5 | Milad Mohammadi | AEK Athens (GRE) | 28 | 45 |
| DEF | 2 | Sadegh Moharrami | Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) | 27 | 21 |
| DEF | 8 | Morteza Pouraliganji | Persepolis (IRA) | 26 | 45 |
| DEF | 23 | Ramin Rezaeian | Sepahan (IRA) | 45 | 2 |
| MID | 11 | Vahid Amiri | Persepolis (IRA) | 34 | 67 |
| MID | 6 | Saeid Ezatolahi | Vejle (DEN) | 26 | 47 |
| MID | 14 | Saman Ghoddos | Brentford (ENG) | 29 | 33 |
| MID | 17 | Ali Gholizadeh | Charleroi (BEL) | 26 | 26 |
| MID | 7 | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | Feyenoord (NED) | 29 | 64 |
| MID | 18 | Ali Karimi | Kayserispor (TUR) | 28 | 13 |
| MID | 21 | Ahmad Nourollahi | Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) | 29 | 26 |
| MID | 16 | Mehdi Torabi | Persepolis (IRA) | 28 | 35 |
| FWD | 10 | Karim Ansarifard | Omonia Nicosia (CYP) | 32 | 94 |
| FWD | 20 | Sardar Azmoun | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 27 | 65 |
| FWD | 9 | Mehdi Taremi | Porto (POR) | 30 | 60 |
Iran best player, strengths & weaknesses
Iran were impressive during qualification for the 2022 World Cup, with eight wins from 10 games in the final round to secure top spot in Group A and an automatic place in Qatar.
They have some key experience at the back, including captain Ehan Hajsafi, and a potent attacking lineup that has big-game experience in Europe and beyond, and they could cause problems for their opponents in the group stages.
Stars
Attack may be the best form of defence if Iran find themselves struggling in Group B, as Queiroz has some eye-catching forwards amongst his ranks.
The former Manchester United coach is naturally very cautious, and will adopt a fairly basic defensive set up, but forwards Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi are a real threat, if the former can shake off his pre-tournament injury.
Strengths
Any fan expecting Queiroz to break away from his usual pragmatic approach will be disappointed, as seven clean sheets from qualifying shows, and that stance will not be altered.
However, with Taremi and Azmoun leading the attack, they have a real potency on the counter, with the former netting 20 league goals for Porto last season.
Weaknesses
In between a pretty solid defence, and a goal threat up top, Iran do struggle for midfield creativity and that could be an issue when trying to build possession in games.
More: Will FIFA ban Iran from World Cup? Explaining calls to throw them out of Qatar 2022
Iran World Cup group
Iran are rated as outsiders to progress from Group B in Qatar, with England strongly fancied to top the group, with Wales and the USA battling for second place.
However, Queiroz's straightforward approach will give Iran a platform to build on, and if they are still in the running ahead of the final game, a shock could be on the cards.
Iran Group B fixtures and match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 21 | England vs. Iran | 8 a.m. | Khalifa Int'l Stadium |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | Wales vs. Iran | 5 a.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | Iran vs. USA | 2 p.m. | Al Thumama Stadium |
Can Iran replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules, "a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team's first match."
The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines "the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup" then the replacement will be allowed.
The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.