Iran National Football Team is Asia’s best football contingent, there’s little doubt about that. They deservedly qualified for the FIFA World Cup through the AFC Qualifiers. The qualifiers for AFC were divided into four separate rounds. The first two also doubled up as the qualifiers for the AFC Asia Cup. The Iran Football Team won a very competitive Group A of the AFC Qualifiers in the end which sealed their place in Qatar.
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Qualifiers overview: Iran national football team
Iran National Football Team didn’t need to play in the first round of the AFC qualifiers. Only the 12 Asian teams that rank from 35th to 46th within Asia had to play round 1. Iran is the top-ranked Asian Team, and overall, they are 21st in the FIFA Rankings. The six winners of Round 1 and 34 better-ranked Asian countries reached Round 2. This was played in a league format.
Iran National Team was placed in Group C of Round 2 AFC Qualifiers. Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong, and Cambodia were the other teams in the same Group. Iran comprehensively won their group with six wins and two losses. This saw them accumulate a group winning point tally of 18. The eight group winners and the four best runners-up from all groups reached Round 3.
The 12 qualifying teams again had to go through a league phase of play. These teams were divided into two groups, and Iran was in Group A. Iran finished this decisive part of the tournament dominantly. They won eight games whilst drawing one and losing one. The final round 4 is, of course, for the inter-continental playoffs and would mean little for other teams. So, overall, Iran National Football Team did play like the Asian Champions that they are.
Strengths and weaknesses of the Iran team
The Iran National team has a visible strength going forward, with established players like Porto’s Mehdi Taremi and Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun alongside captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh leading the attacking lines. Much like massive European attacking units like France or England, Iran plays an open brand of football. They are also quite fast at sighting the goal and going for dangerous long shots.
However, there is much scope for improvement in the defence. There aren’t many big-name defenders, and the team will predictably struggle against stronger attacks, especially European teams like France and Spain. Teams that love themselves in an open game are much like themselves. However, they can come from the back, and the minor team character remains true. They can cause massive upsets, and their role would be interesting in the upcoming World Cup.
Iran national football team players: Key players
Mehdi Taremi is the key man in the attack. He is the superstar of the squad who influences play and embodies the spirit and mentality of the team. Sardar Azmoun, though not as influential as Taremi, has been a key figure in the squad. His performances in the national outfit have been significant steps to their success. Among everything, his finishing is what has helped them the most.
Another man getting high ratings for his performances for Iran National Team is their goalkeeper, Amir Abedzadeh. He has been in flying form playing his football in Spain’s second tier in a club called SD Ponferradina. Iran’s defence will rely heavily on him to keep out of danger.
Iran national football team players to watch out for
As is always the case with any dark horse, or underdog team, experience is valued over youth. Iran has tended to rely on its veterans rather than calling up youngsters. Therefore, making cases for possible breakouts become a challenging task. All that can be said is that a few younger reserves stand out and could be given a call-up, although the chances are too low.
Among them, the 25-year-old midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi has a case of arguing for a better future in terms of a career in Europe. In his appearances, he has been a critical midfielder to Iran, and he has yet to search for his big breakout moment. He could be one that scouts could keep an eye on as a player quickly approaching his prime.
How to watch Qatar world cup 2022 on TV?
The list of channels for the upcoming World Cup 2022 is listed below. Check for your respective geographical regions and find the concerned official broadcaster extending Iran’s live football TV streaming.
Country | Channel |
Indian Subcontinent | |
United Kingdom | |
USA | |
MENA Region | |
Russia | |
Qatar | 2Sport2 |
Greece | |
Italy | |
Spain | |
Brazil | Globo |
China |
How to watch Iran match live stream?
The upcoming FIFA World Cup is arguably the biggest upcoming sporting spectacle. There would be numerous options to stream these games online. The official online resort to watch these matches is the various official OTT platforms extending Iran live football streaming. In India, Sony Liv would be the primary OTT partner of the tournament. Similarly, BBC iPlayer OTT is taking charge of viewers in the UK. Hulu+ OTT is telecasting action in the United States. Moreover, numerous other small and big OTT options must extend live streaming football services as we draw closer to the mega event.
There would be viewers who will want to watch these matches for free. There are several tips and tricks for streaming these games online for free. However, all such resorts will need a VPN connection. A VPN ensures that no one can track your internet activity and protects you considerably against malicious computer ads. The first trick is using a VPN to stream the World Cup games via a free Live TV Streaming platform like USTV GO or FreeInterTV. Viewers will only have to choose the channel that runs the official telecast in real-time. That should allow you to stream these World Cup matches live without cost.