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Sardar Azmoun is left out of Iran’s FIFA World Cup team amidst controversy, as Iran faces visa problems and shifts its training camp to Tijuana ahead of New Zealand game.
Sardar Azmoun featured in Iran’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2025 (Picture credit: AFP)
Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun, the third-highest scorer in the history of the Iranian national team, isn’t among the footballers selected for the FIFA World Cup, as per a list published Monday by the nation’s football federation.
Azmoun faced intense criticism in the Iranian media in March after posting a photo on his Instagram account of himself alongside the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, a US ally and supporter of Washington in its war against Iran.
Some Iranian state media outlets at the time called it a “betrayal,” given that Azmoun plays and lives in Dubai.
The 31-year-old forward, who previously played for Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma and has scored 57 goals in 91 international appearances, had already drawn criticism in 2022 for his support of protesters during the widespread demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini.
The 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Iran is scheduled to play its first match on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles. However, according to the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, the national team players have not yet received visas to travel to the United States.
The Iranians have relocated their training camp, initially planned to be in Tucson in the US state of Arizona, to the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana.
Iran squad (all Iran-based unless stipulated):
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Payam Niazmand, Hossein Hosseini
Defenders: Ehsan Hajsafi, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Danial Eiri, Ramin Rezaeian, Saleh Hardani
Midfielders: Saman Ghoddos (Kalba/UAE), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al-Ahli/UAE), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al-Wahda/UAE), Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Amirmohammad Razzaghinia, Mohammad Mohebi (Rostov/RUS), Mehdi Torabi, Mehdi Ghayedi (Al-Nasr/UAE), Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Aria Yousefi
Forwards: Mehdi Taremi (Olympiakos/GRE), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Ali Alipour, Shahriyar Moghanlou (Kalba/UAE), Dennis Eckert (known in Iran as Dennis Dargahi, Standard Liege/BEL)
(With AFP Inputs)
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