Livescore
What Next for the Iran National Football Team?
Figure 1 The Persian Gulf League continues now that the World Cup has ended
The Persian Gulf League has continued its season and Iranian football fans have now redirected their attention to domestic matters. Even though we concentrate mostly on the national league, we have all been transfixed by the events in Qatar over the last month or so.
Before the World Cup began, most betting sites like Gtbets offered long odds for Team Melli doing anything of note. After the embarrassing defeat to England in the opening game, it did seem as though they were probably right. But, the following two performances showed that this squad is capable of competing at this level. But what now for the Iran national football team?
World Cup Review
It was always going to be difficult for Iran to progress from Group B at this year’s World Cup. It was the only group that consisted of four teams all ranked in the top 20 according to FIFA. There was also the fact that Iran would be playing in some very high-profile games in Qatar.
The 6-2 thrashing at the hands of England in the first game was a huge disappointment for everyone involved. But even in that game, there was a sliver of hope for the future as the players rallied around each other towards the end. It was that show of strength that almost saw Iran through to the round of 16.
Team Melli left it late against Wales in the second game, but two goals in stoppage time won all three points and gave them a chance of progressing. That was ultimately not to be, thanks to a solitary American goal in the third and final game. But it must be said that Iran showed that it belonged at the World Cup.
AFC Cup
The next major international tournament on the horizon is the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. But that horizon seems to be moving further away every day. Initially the competition was to be held in China in June and July of 2023. But it has now been moved to Qatar because of the COVID pandemic.
There is a slight problem with that though. As with the recent World Cup, it will be very hot at that time of year, meaning that the tournament looks set to be moved to January 2024. Iran lost to Japan in the final four in 2019, in what was the best national performance for 15 years. If the current squad can continue its trajectory, 2024 may be even better.
FIFA Rankings
FIFA will not officially reveal the updated world rankings until later this month but it is believed that Team Melli will drop slightly after failing to qualify for the knock out stages in Qatar. Iran went into the World Cup in 20th but may now fall down to 24th in the world. That will still see the nation top of the AFC federation, however.
Progressing to at least the round of 16 at the World Cup would have undoubtedly seen Iran rise higher. The all-time highest position in the FIFA rankings was 15th in 2005, so it is a good sign that the team is still able to stay around this level. Some good results in the AFC Cup and World Cup 2026 qualification would help in that regard.
Figure 2 Iranian fans saw their team perform well in Qatar
Top Players
As the highest ranked team in the region, Iran already has a bye to the second round of World Cup 2026 qualification. The first qualifiers are scheduled to be played in November of next year and all eyes will be on those fixtures if the AFC Asian Cup is indeed postponed.
But some of the players that performed so well in Qatar have already attracted the attention of clubs from around the globe. Carlos Quieroz looks like he will become the new Technical Director, so he will be able to continue his fine work bringing through new talent.
Mehdi Taremi consolidated his position as a top striker in Qatar and will now focus his energies on scoring goals for Porto in Portugal. But Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun and Ramin Rezaeian, who currently plays for Sepahan, also did their reputations no harm at all at the World Cup. Now Team Melli must concentrate on going forward and achieving even more over the next year or so.