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Is It Time for Iran to Start Dreaming of World Cup Glory?

Iran isn’t a country you relate to World Cup success. When the nation has made it to the finals in the past, it has been the biggest achievement of the national football team’s existence. Bigger sides with bottomless resources usually usurp the Iranians.  

Qatar 2022 looks set to be different. After beating Syria 3-0 in their last fixture - reuters.com reported that they breezed past their opponents – the race is on. But should Iranian football fans begin to dream? And if they do, how high should they raise their expectations?  

The Maths Add Up  

The qualifying Group A isn’t the tightest of the two groups. That honour falls to Group B, where a couple of points separate Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia. It may not be fun for the neutrals, but Iranian football supporters don’t care. They are one point away from a spectacular achievement.  

After six games, and with the top two from each group qualifying for the World Cup automatically, Iran has 16 points and is two clear of South Korea. Then there’s a big gap to the UAE on six points. Therefore, the Iranians only require one more win from their next four fixtures to confirm their place in Qatar next year.  

Better yet, three of those matches are at home, and three are games Iran will be expected to win comfortably. The toughest is against South Korea in March 2022, yet the job may be complete by that date. Seeing as they’re unbeaten so far in their World Cup Qualifying campaign, one win isn’t unrealistic.  

Massive Underdogs  

Everyone assumes Iran will do the business, including the bookmakers. Bookies are offering outright odds on the winning team for the 2022 World Cup, and Iran is among a host of nations on the docket. Sadly, they aren’t healthy as far as lifting the famous trophy is concerned.  

Although going deep into the tournament would be a miracle, most Iranians will be shocked when they realise that marathonbet.co.uk quotes their country as 650/1 underdogs. And it isn’t the only betting company to concur. Still, the Iranian squad isn’t at the bottom of the pile. That award belongs to Honduras at 2000/1.  

Indeed, seven nations have worse odds than Iran, many of which have a richer footballing history. Scotland, for example, has performed in World Cups before, and several of their players compete in Europe’s top leagues.  

Creating History  

The draw won’t happen for months, so it’s impossible to tell which nations will be in Iran’s group. Of course, that presumes the team will secure the win they need to go to consecutive World Cups. If they do, the squad should focus on making history for its people.  

For example, Russa 2018 was a momentous occasion as they beat Morocco 1-0 with a 95th-minute own goal winner. As bbc.co.uk/sport said at the time, it was only Iran’s second victory at World Cup Finals in the nation’s history and their first in 20 years. Securing two victories at one World Cup, then, would be a mind-blowing achievement.  

Qualifying from the group would be another historic moment for the entire Middle East, but that may be getting ahead of ourselves. For now, aiming for a handful of wins seems doable considering the side’s form.  

Yes, Iranians should begin to dream about qualifying for Qatar 2022. After that, the task gets harder. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t write our own story.