Sardar Azmoun left out of Iran’s World Cup 2026 preliminary squad

Experienced forward Sardar Azmoun was a glaring omission as Iran named its preliminary World Cup squad before departing for a pre-tournament training camp.

Azmoun was not among the 30 players named in the squad on Saturday amid reports he was expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government during the US-Israel war on Iran.

The 31-year-old striker, who plays club football in the United Arab Emirates for Dubai’s Shabab Al-Ahli, upset Iranian authorities in March by posting a picture on Instagram of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, according to Iranian media reports.

A report on Fars News Agency in March quoted an informed source within the national team as saying Azmoun had been expelled from the squad. The player later removed the picture but was still criticized on state television.

Azmoun has scored 57 goals in 91 appearances for his country and was part of Iran’s squad in its last two World Cup appearances.

Iran’s forward line at the World Cup will be led by Mehdi Taremi, who has played in major European leagues and currently plays for Olympiacos FC in Greece’s top tier.

The 30-member squad will travel to Turkiye on Monday for a training camp, friendlies and to complete visa applications before heading to the United States, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said.

Team Melli will return to Antalya, where they trained and played friendlies in March.

The squad must be trimmed to the World Cup maximum of 26 by June 1.

“Selecting 30 players for this final training camp ahead of the World Cup was the most difficult technical decision of my coaching career,” Ghalenoei told the Iranian football federation website, adding he had selected players solely on “technical criteria.”

Iran hopes to play two friendlies in Antalya. They have confirmed one match against The Gambia on May 29, said Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian who heads a company that arranges friendlies for the team.

The Iranian squad and support staff have not been issued visas for the World Cup, but FIFA has issued reassurances in advance of the tournament’s June 11 kickoff.

“No visas have been issued yet,” Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian football federation, said on Thursday.

Taj said players were expected to undergo fingerprinting in Turkiye as part of the visa process but wished to avoid a trip of more than 450 kilometers from Antalya to the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Iran will begin its World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium in the same city and then Egypt in Seattle, in Group G.