Azmoun Excluded From Iran's 2026 World Cup Squad Over Social Media Controversy

Iran has named its 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with striker Sardar Azmoun absent after being dropped from the national setup in March over a social media post that drew accusations of treason from Iranian authorities. Coach Amir Ghalenoei confirmed the omission, which has drawn considerable attention given Azmoun's profile as one of Iran's most recognisable footballers. The 31-year-old had posted a photograph alongside Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai, a figure perceived by Iranian authorities as closely aligned with the United States. Azmoun deleted the image, but the damage was sufficient for officials to label the act disloyal, and his exclusion from the squad followed.

Azmoun, who has spent his club career in European football - most notably with Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma before his current stint at Shabab Al-Ahli FC in Saudi Arabia - had accumulated more than 5.8 million Instagram followers at the time of the incident. His omission means Iran will instead rely on Mehdi Taremi, who currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece, as their primary attacking reference. The squad includes nine players based at overseas clubs and 17 drawn from domestic sides, a group that has been inactive at club level since February due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The team has been preparing at a training camp in Antalya, Türkiye, and is scheduled to relocate to Tijuana, Mexico, ahead of the tournament.

Iran's base camp logistics have undergone a late revision. The federation originally planned to operate out of Tucson, Arizona, but federation president Mehdi Taj announced the shift to Tijuana, citing the need to resolve potential visa complications by having the squad enter the United States through Mexico. FIFA approved the base camp change but declined a separate request to alter the location of Iran's group-stage fixtures. Iran will open Group G play against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on 15 June, before facing Belgium, also in Los Angeles, on 21 June, and concluding the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. FIFA President Gianni Infantino had confirmed in April that Iran would participate in the tournament despite earlier uncertainty stemming from the geopolitical situation.

Iran have qualified for four consecutive World Cups but have never advanced beyond the group stage. The possibility of a fifth consecutive first-round exit looms, though a second-place group finish would open the prospect of a meeting with the United States in the knockout rounds. The two nations last met at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where a Christian Pulisic goal settled a 1-0 result in favour of the United States, sending them through to the round of sixteen at Iran's expense.