Iran drew all three matches in the group stages of the World Cup 2026, meaning they are now waiting to see whether they progress through to the knockout stages.
It’s something Iran have never achieved in six previous appearances at the World Cup.
Team Melli opened their 2026 campaign with a point against New Zealand, during which they twice came back to draw 2-2. They then held Belgium to a goalless draw, before playing out a dramatic 1-1 draw against Egypt, during which they thought they had scored a last-gasp winner only for it to be ruled out by VAR.
As a result, Iran finished with three points on the board, and could now potentially progress through to the last-32 as one of the eight best third-place finishers.
Iran World Cup 2026 route to the final
We will map out Iran’s potential route to the World Cup 2026 final once it has been confirmed whether they have made it through to the knockout stages.
READ MORE: Get the latest Iran World Cup 2026 outright odds here
Iran World Cup 2026 stats
Iran route to the World Cup
Iran played 16 matches across two separate group stages to book their place at the World Cup. The Lion Hearts came up against fellow qualifiers Uzbekistan in both phases, drawing with them on all four occasions.
Qatar were the only other team to take points from Iran, but that 1-0 defeat came after they’d already qualified.
This represented one of Iran’s strongest qualification campaigns, while they’ve now lost just four of their last 52 World Cup qualifiers, starting with the sequence for the 2018 tournament.
Iran key players for World Cup 2026
Iran top World Cup Golden Boot contender: Mehdi Taremi
- Key stat: Mehdi Taremi is the only Iranian player to score more than one World Cup goal.
Taremi scored 10 goals during World Cup qualifying, drawing him level with Son Heung-min and second only to Almoez Ali in the Asian section.
He showed his importance in all phases for Iran in their opening fixture against New Zealand, often acting as a false nine and dropping deep to get touches and help Iran get out in the build, showing he isn’t just a goal-getting target man.
Taremi thought he had found the net against Belgium, but was denied by VAR after straying marginally offside before finishing a neatly executed free-kick routine.
The Olympiacos striker continues to deliver the goods at the European club level, while he’s now second only to Ali Daei (108) on Iran’s all-time goalscorer list, having netted 60 times in 107 caps.
But what stands Taremi apart is his brace against England at the 2022 World Cup, which makes him the only Iranian player to score more than once at the World Cup.
Iran’s dynamic full-back: Ramin Rezaeian
The 36-year-old right-back has made 76 appearances for his country, scoring nine times and providing 13 assists.
Rezaeian provided both a goal and an assist in Iran’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand to kickstart Group G, showing his importance in the attacking phase.
Iran primary playmaker: Alireza Jahanbakhsh
With no Sardar Azmoun in the squad, the creative burden falls on Jahanbakhsh’s shoulders.
The experienced wideman, who now plies his trade in Belgium, is one of the more experienced members of the Iran squad.
He’s just one cap away from breaking the 100 milestone, and could reach that landmark achievement during the World Cup.
Iran card magnet & top tackler: Saleh Hardani
- Key stat: Saleh Hardani made 21 tackles during World Cup qualifying and was sent off once.
Esteghlal full-back Saleh Hardani proved incredibly hard to beat during qualifying, locking down the right side with 21 tackles and a 64.5% duel success rate, while only being dribbled past four times.
However, the 29-year-old did overstep the mark once, being shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Uzbekistan’s Eldor Shomurodov in October.
Iran rising star: Amirmohammad Razzaghinia
20-year-old Amirmohammad Razzaghinia made the cut despite his limited international experience.
The midfielder plies his trade for Iranian outfit Esteghlal and established himself as a first-team regular, as he made 21 appearances before the season was postponed following the breakout of the Iran War.
STAND-OUT STAT: Iran averaged more interceptions than any other team at the 2022 World Cup with 14 per match.
Iran set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Mehdi Taremi
- Free kicks: Mehdi Taremi
- Corners: Saman Ghoddos
Tactical analysis and formation
Team stats (World Cup qualifying)
- Corners: 6
- Shots on target: 3.5 per match
- GK saves: 6.5 per match
- Average possession: 39.1%
Iran have lined up in a 4-4-2/5-4-1 hybrid at the World Cup, with the bulk of the attacking responsibilities given to Mehdi Taremi and Mehdi Ghayedi with no Sardar Azmoun in the squad.
Shoja Khalilzadeh and Ali Nemati are regulars in the backline, with Saeid Ezatolahi being partnered by experienced ex-Brentford man Saman Ghoddos in midfield.
Get the latest Iran World Cup goals, shots, tackle, assist stats are more here.
Iran manager analysis
This is Amir Ghalenoei’s second spell in charge of Iran, having overseen them between August 2006 and July 2007. Once again, he’s proving incredibly popular, losing just four of his 41 matches since returning and maintaining a 68.29% win rate. Now, he’ll look to guide Iran into the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history.
Ghalenoei also has a long history of club management in Persia, taking charge of almost 700 matches to date and winning five Iranian league titles.
| Coach | Team | P | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amir Ghalenoei | Iran (current spell) | 47 | 31 | 11 | 5 | 66% |
Iran World Cup FAQs
Have Iran ever won the World Cup?
Iran have never won the World Cup, failing to make it past the first round/group stage so far, and winning just three of their 20 matches in the competition (as of June 21).
Where did Iran finish in the last World Cup?
Iran went out in the group stage at Qatar 2022, but needed just one goal in their final group game against the United States to progress.
Who will be the Iran captain at the World Cup?
Ehsan Hajsafi was named captain of Iran’s World Cup squad.
Who is Iran’s all-time top goalscorer at World Cups?
Mehdi Taremi is Iran’s top goalscorer at the World Cup with two goals, making him the nation’s only player to score more than once at the competition.
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