Iran politician asks manager to pick star player in World Cup squad after being left out

An Iranian politician has asked manager Amir Ghalenoei to restore one of the nation's key players to his Iran squad ahead of the World Cup.

Iran were one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, co-hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico, but their participation has been called into doubt in recent months due to the US and Israel's war against the Gulf nation.

On Monday, Mexico president Claudia Sheinbaum announced that her country would host Iran's training camp throughout their stay in the tournament after the United States refused to do so.

As part of the arrangement, Iran will travel to the US - where they will still play all three of their group matches - just before each game before swiftly returning to Mexico.

Sheinbaum told reporters at a news conference: "We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico."

READ MORE: Mexico president makes huge Iran announcement days before World Cup

Now, attention will briefly turn to the identity of Iran's final 26-man squad, which is set to be announced in the coming days.

Manager Ghalenoei picked his provisional 30-man squad on May 16 - which did not include the former Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and Zenit Saint Petersburg forward Sardar Azmoun.

Azmoun, 31, is Iran's third-highest leading goalscorer, behind Ali Daei and Mehdi Taremi, but hasn't played for the national team since June 2025.

Azmoun took a public stance against the Iranian government following protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been arrested over allegedly not wearing a hijab.

Iranian authorities denied using police brutality, but a UN fact-finding mission concluded in 2024 that Iran was responsible for the 'physical violence' that led to her death.

Iranian news outlets then reported in March 2026 that Azmoun had been removed from the national team for disloyalty towards the government, after he posted a photo of himself meeting Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The Guardian report that Iranian politician Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, who is the Vice President of Iran for Rural Development Affairs and disadvantaged Regions, is supportive of bringing the striker back to the national team.

"The homeland's need is to preserve the threads of connection between its children," a post sent out by his Twitter account read.

"Whoever places the name of Iran above personal grievances is part of our national capital.

"Let us not overlook Sardar Azmoun's action in displaying this bond, and if possible, return him to the national team. This is not a sporting decision but a message in favour of national unity."

Who has been named in Iran's World Cup squad?

Aside from their key man and former Porto and Inter Milan striker Mehdi Taremi, there are a number of other Iranian players familiar to Premier League fans will be aware of.

Former Brentford midfielder Saman Ghoddos and ex-Brighton star Alireza Jahanbakhsh were both named in the provisional squad by manager Ghalenoei.

Defender Ehsan Hajsafi, who has picked up 144 caps to make him one of the most experienced players at the World Cup if selected, also has a chance of making the final squad.