چاپ خبر

The second-highest ranked Asian side in the FIFA rankings at 20, IR Iran are seeking a seventh FIFA World Cup appearance and head coach Amir Ghalenoei is optimistic about qualification despite being drawn in a tough Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26 on Thursday.

Despite Iran’s impressive record, they will face a tough challenge with reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and DPR Korea having all qualified for the FIFA World Cup previously, while Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic will be no pushovers.

Ghalenoei, however, firmly believes Iran – given their recent form – will seal a spot in what would be a fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup Finals.
The three-time AFC Asian Cup winners have lost just once in their last 18 international matches, winning 14 of those since the start of 2023, which underlines Ghalenoei’s belief.

“All of the teams are close (in level) and there are no easy teams,” said the Tehran native, who took charge of the team for a second spell in March 2023 and earned a contract extension until the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after leading Iran to the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 semi-finals.

“Nothing in football can be taken for granted but if you look at our results from the past one year, (we believe that) we can qualify.”