| Club | MP | W | D | L | GD | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 England |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
 Iran |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
 USA |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Wales |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Opponent | Score | Date |
|---|
Group B
29/11/2022
Stadium
STARTS AT
20:00 GMT+0100Al Thumama Stadium
Iran’s record at World Cups isn’t great but the 2022 Finals in Qatar will be their sixth attempt at impressing on the global stage. The side looked decent during qualification, finishing top in their second stage group after a tough battle with neighbours Iraq.
A harder test came in the third stage after being drawn in a group featuring South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Iran once again showed their resolve to finish in first place, although they were helped across the line when South Korea fumbled their last game against the UAE.
Notable players during qualification were Mehdi Taremi (Porto), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Feyenoord) and Sardar Azmoun (Bayer Leverkusen) who each chipped in with numerous goals and assists to push Iran through. Taremi in particular has enjoyed a rich vein of form, scoring 20 league goals during the 20/21 Portuguese season.
Since 2020, Croatian Dragan Skočić has been the manager of Iran. With a limited playing career behind him, Skočić found more success as a coach after domestic cup success with both hometown club Rijeka and 1975 Ljubljana in Slovenia.
What followed next was a succession of managerial jobs across the Middle East, including short spells at clubs in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well as numerous jobs in Iran. His time here impressed the Football Federation and Skočić became national manager two years ago, tasked with qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Ehsan Hajsafi is the long-term captain of the Iran 2022 squad having been given the armband back in 2014. He is a left-footed player who can play in numerous roles down the left-hand side as well as in central midfield when required.
Hajsafi started his career with Sepahan and went on to make over 200 league appearances from 2006 to 2015, scoring some notable long-range goals along the way. Spells in German and Greek football were interjected with returns to the Iranian league, before a more solid move arrived at AEK Athens in 2021.
Although a firm favourite with the national team fans, Hajsafi was banned from international football for playing with Panionios against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2017. However, the ban was rescinded in 2018 and he was named in the squad for the World Cup in Russia.
Iran have been drawn in one of the most interesting groups of the Finals, first playing against England on 21st November, followed by Wales on 25th November, and finally a fiery-looking encounter against the USA in a potentially crucial game.
Iran have never met the US in a friendly international, owing much to the political conflict between the two, but they did play against each other at France ’98. Iran famously won that clash 2-1, hanging on despite a late Brian McBride goal.
Ali Daei was famously the record international goalscorer for many years with 109 goals for Iran – a record only surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021. After retiring in 2007, he went on to manage numerous Iranian sides but has been without a club since 2019. He was invited to assist with the 2022 World Cup draw due to his high-standing within Asian football.
