Sixth-time finalists who have never escaped the group stage; 2026 will be a fourth straight finals and the 7th appearance overall (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022)
The squad's curveball — a German-born, Belgium-based forward of Iranian descent (also called Dargahi) who only secured his Iranian passport weeks before the tournament. Uncapped on the plane; a wholly new face for Team Melli to unwrap.
Passed Ali Daei in 2015 to become Iran's most-capped player; later managed the national side's biggest clubs
The first man to reach 100 international goals; held the world record until Cristiano Ronaldo passed him in 2021
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Amir Ghalenoei (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Daei #10 | FW | 1993–2006 | 148 | 108 | The first footballer to 100 international goals; world record-holder for 17 years until a Portuguese gentleman caught up. |
| Javad Nekounam #6 | CM | 2000–2015 | 149 | 38 | Iran's most-capped man — a metronome in midfield who also captained the side to two World Cups. |
| Ali Karimi #8 | AM | 1998–2012 | 127 | 38 | The 'Asian Maradona' — 2004 Asian Footballer of the Year and the most gifted dribbler Iran ever produced. |
| Mehdi Mahdavikia #7 | RW | 1996–2009 | 110 | 13 | The flying right winger who set up the goals that beat the USA in 1998; a Bundesliga favourite in Hamburg. |
| Karim Bagheri #6 | CM | 1993–2010 | 87 | 50 | Once scored 19 in a single qualifying campaign — including the opener that sank the USA in Lyon. |
| Jalal Hosseini #4 | CB | 2007–2018 | 115 | 8 | 'Shamoosh' — the granite centre-back at the heart of three Asian Cup campaigns and two World Cups. |
| Mehdi Taremi #9 | FW | 2015– | 105 | 60 | The modern talisman who leads Iran's 2026 line — a Champions League scorer and Iran's second-leading marksman of all time. |
| Andranik Teymourian #6 | DM | 2005–2016 | 101 | 9 | 'Ando' — the first Christian to captain Iran, a tidy holding midfielder who spent years in the Premier League. |
| Hossein Sadeghi #4 | DF | 1972–1978 | 80 | 0 | A pillar of the golden 1970s side that won three straight Asian Cups and reached the 1978 World Cup. |
| Ali Parvin #8 | MF | 1970–1980 | 76 | 13 | 'The Sultan' — captain and chief schemer of Iran's first World Cup squad and a Persepolis immortal. |
Asia's quiet superpower — three Asian Cups, a record goalscorer the planet once envied, and a fortress in Tehran where few opponents leave smiling. And yet the World Cup remains a closed door: six finals reached, six group stages exited. The Almanac files Iran under 'magnificent, unfinished'. The cheetahs keep running; the second round keeps running faster.