Iran World Cup 2018
The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country steeped in history, with a population of around 81 million, and are a growing nation in footballing terms. At Russia 2018, they will look to make a bigger impact than they have at previous World Cups, although they face a difficult task.
History at the World Cup
Russia 2018 will be the fifth World Cup finals Iran have appeared in, having previously qualified in 1978, 1998, 2006, and 2014. It’s also the first time they will have appeared at two consecutive finals. Unfortunately, they do not have the best record in previous tournaments and have never made it past the group stage. In fact, they have picked up just one victory from twelve matches at finals tournaments.
That victory came in 1998, as they shocked the United States to win 2-1 in Lyon, France. This was also the first time Iran had not finished bottom of their group. In 1978, they lost to Netherlands, and Peru, with a 1-1 draw against Scotland sandwiched between the two.
The 2006 tournament saw them put in brave performances in defeats to Portugal, and Mexico, before finishing with a 1-1 draw against Angola. Four years ago, in 2014, they found themselves in a tough group with Argentina, Nigeria, and Bosnia. They again put in solid performances, drawing 0-0 with Nigeria before losing to a 92nd minute goal against Argentina. The final match against Bosnia was more one-sided and finished in a 3-1 defeat.
- World Cup Finals Appearances – 4
- Best Performance – Group Stage
How they qualified
The number one ranked team in the Asian Football Confederation were also the first from the region to qualify for Russia 2018, and they remained unbeaten throughout the qualification process.
They topped a group containing Oman, Turkmenistan, Guam, and India in the first group stage, winning six and drawing two of their eight matches.
The next stage saw them drawn against South Korea, Syria, Uzbekistan, China PR, and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar. Six wins and four draws saw them top that group and book their place at a fifth World Cup finals.
In total, throughout qualifying, Iran played eighteen matches. They won twelve, drew six, and lost none, scoring thirty-six goals, and conceding just five.
Coach/Manager
Most English football fans would struggle to name one member of the Iran playing squad, but many will recognise the national team coach, Carlos Queiroz.
Querioz has been a football manager for almost three decades, and has qualified three different countries to World Cup finals tournaments.
Starting out as Portugal Under-20 coach in 1989, he soon stepped up to lead the national team. He then had spells as boss of Sporting, NY/NJ MetroStars in the USA, Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan, and the United Arab Emirates national team, before taking charge of South Africa.
With Queiroz as head coach, South Africa qualified for the 2002 World Cup although he resigned before the finals.
Next up was the first of two spells as assistant manager at Manchester United, with a ten-month spell in-charge of Real Madrid in between.
He then became head coach of the Portugal national team for a second time, leading them to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
In 2011, Queiroz became head coach of the Iran national team and has now become their longest-serving coach in history. He is also the only coach to lead them to two consecutive World Cup finals tournaments.
Star Players
The undoubted star of the team is forward Sardar Azmoun, who already sits fifth in the list of all-time leading scorers for the national team. This is despite the fact he only made his debut in 2014.
With just thirty caps to his name, at the time of writing this, Azmoun has scored twenty-two goals. He top-scored for Iran during the qualification process, netting eleven times, and is familiar with Russia as he plays for Premier League team Rubin Kazan.
Azmoun is one of three players from the most recent squad who will feel at home in Russia. Saeid Ezatolahi plays for Amkar Perm, and Milad Mohammadi is at Akhmat Grozny.
The most capped player in the squad is defender Jalal Hosseini, who has made 114 appearances for his country.
Iran World Cup 2018: Assessing Their Chances & Odds
In all honesty, Iran will likely be battling to finish third in the group with Morocco, as the other two teams in Group B are current European champions Portugal and 2010 World Cup winners Spain. Their only previous meeting against either of these teams came against Portugal at the 2006 World Cup, with the Iranians suffering a 2-0 defeat.
The betting odds tend to agree that Iran will find it nigh on impossible to make it past the group stage for the first time in their history. William Hill have them priced as the outsiders to win the group, at odds of 25/1, and they are priced at 6/1 to qualify for the next round.
Our Iran World Cup Prediction
Unfortunately for Queiroz and his players, we believe they will be knocked out of the tournament at the group stage for a fifth time at a World Cup. They do have players who can cause a few problems but ultimately, they do not look good enough to pick up two wins they would probably need if they are to make it through. Our prediction is Iran to be out of the tournament after putting in a few brave performances during the group stage.