Iran will aim to secure a place in the knockout stages for the first time at a World Cup when they make the short trip to Qatar for the 2022 tournament.
Carlos Queiroz’s side faces the shortest journey of any of the competing nations, as the World Cup heads to the Middle East for the first time.
After finishing as the top Asian seed for the tournament, Iran is quietly confident of being able to pull off the upset.
As part of Group B, alongside England, Wales, and the United States, Iran will fancy their chances of potentially ending their last 16 disappointment.
Iran World Cup Roster
Here is the final squad announced by head coach Carlos Queiroz ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Despite the 26-man limit on World Cup rosters, Queiroz has decided to bring only 25 players to the tournament, including four goalkeepers.
Injured attacker Sardar Azmon was included in the roster despite a calf problem. Reports before 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 Azmon, but, if true, he has apparently resisted that pressure.
There is no place for Al Waqrah midfielder Omid Ibrahimi, who was injured in a friendly against Nicaragua just days before the tournament.
Iran open their World Cup campaign against England on November 21, with no pre-tournament friendlies scheduled for Queiroz’s charge.
Iran World Cup Squad 2022
| 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 Players, Strengths and Weaknesses
Iran has been impressive during qualification for the 2022 World Cup, with eight wins in 10 games in the final round to secure the top spot in Group A and an automatic spot in Qatar.
They have some key experience at the back, including captain Ehan Hajsafi and a powerful attacking lineup with experience in big games in Europe and beyond, and they could cause problems for their opponents in the group stages.
STARS
The attack could be the best form of defense if Iran finds itself struggling in Group B, as Queiroz has some attractive forwards in his ranks.
The former Manchester United coach is naturally very cautious and will adopt a fairly basic defensive set-up, but forwards Sardar Azmon and Mehdi Taremi are real threats if the former can overcome his pre-tournament injury.
POWERS
Any fans expecting Queiroz to deviate from his usual pragmatic approach will be disappointed, as he has seven clean sheets from qualifying events, and that stance will not change.
However, with Taremi and Azmon leading the attack, they have real potential on the counter, scoring 20 league goals for Porto last season.
WEAKNESS
Between a good solid defense, and a goal threat at the top, Iran struggles for midfield creativity and this can be a problem when trying to build possession in games.