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On November 20, the 22nd FIFA World Cup begins. The sports event, which will take place almost until Christmas, will bring together fans and supporters of various national teams to cheer for their teams.
The most visited football portal in the country, "Eurofootball.com," will provide reviews of the national teams participating in the World Cup, aiming to get to know each team better.
This time, we review the Iranian national team in Group B.
Team history and achievements
Iran will be participating in its seventh FIFA World Cup. The Asian representatives first qualified for the tournament in 1978.
The last time Iran played in the World Cup was in 2018. However, the team has never progressed beyond the group stage.
Iran has been crowned champions of the Asian Cup three times (1968, 1972, and 1976). It is worth noting that in 1968, Iran made its debut in the tournament and won the title immediately.
The Asian team has participated in the Olympics three times, achieving their best result with a quarterfinal appearance in 1976.
Predicted team lineup
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Persepolis), Hosseinali Hosseini (Esteghlal), Amir Abedzadeh (Ponferradina), Payam Niazmand (Sepahan).
Defenders: Majid Hosseini (Kayserispor), Omid Noorafkan (Sepahan), Ramin Rezaeian (Sepahan), Abolfazl Jalali (Esteghlal), and more.
Midfielders: Ehsan Hajsafi (AEK), Milad Sarlak (Persepolis), Saman Ghoddos (Brentford), and more.
Forwards: Vahid Amiri (Persepolis), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord), Mehdi Taremi (Porto), and more.
Team coach
The Iranian national team is coached by Portuguese manager Carlos Queiroz. The 69-year-old coach has been in charge since 1989.
Queiroz has accumulated a wealth of experience throughout his career. He coached Lisbon's "Sporting" club for several seasons, worked as an assistant at Manchester United for 5 years, and more.
Queiroz's highest point came in the 2003-2004 season when he coached Real Madrid. However, the season was not very successful. Madrid was eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals and finished fourth in La Liga. After that season, Queiroz went back to work as an assistant at Manchester United.
Since 2008, Carlos Queiroz has been involved in coaching national teams.
He spent two years coaching the Portuguese national team, followed by eight years (2011-2019) coaching the Iranian national team.
Later, he briefly coached the Colombian and Egyptian national teams and returned to lead the Iranian national team again this year.
Throughout his career with the Iranian national team, Carlos Queiroz has coached 102 matches, with 61 wins, 28 draws, and 13 losses.
Group stage opponents
Iran will face England, the USA, and Wales in Group B.
Matches against England and Wales will be Iran's first in history against those teams.
Iran played against the USA in the 1998 World Cup and won 2-1.
Conclusion
Iran will participate in its seventh FIFA World Cup tournament and has yet to advance beyond the group stage. Success in this tournament seems unlikely. The main rivals for the Asian team will be Wales and the USA, but the chances of the latter teams seem more realistic. Based on current positions before the championship, Iran is considered the underdog of the group.
