World Cup is no longer new to the Iran squad as they will appear on their third straight World Cup appearance this year. Overall, the country already have its sixth World Cup appearance since its debut in 1978. The team qualified for the World Cup after ending up the number one team in Asia, as they won the AFC third round Group A.
During the AFC, Iran was able to list eight wins, one loss, and one draw. They edged out South Korea who still qualified for the World Cup as they were in the second place. They have been impressive after winning 14 out of 18 matches during the qualifying tournament for the World Cup.
However, despite their qualification many were disappointed because seems like the Iranian squad has no preparations. For some, they believe that this squad has no concrete plans yet, although the World Cup is already near. According to the former head coach of Iran’s national team, time is very important, and the team’s preparation will be an important factor for the success of Iran. He also encouraged the team to at least arrange matches in preparation for the prestigious tournament. He believes that Iran must arrange proper fixtures to be World Cup-ready.
Going down to history, the team was not able to pass the group stage yet and never qualified for the round of 16. Now, their goal is to make history and make past the group stage. However, many believes that the team is not ready to take their chances yet. Critics say that the team lacks movements, and just wasting golden opportunities because of their overconfidence.
However, despite the criticisms faced, Iran is confident that they can go far in the World Cup. They have a strong attacking unit with the presence of Mehdi Taremi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and Sardar Azmoun. Iran’s performance during the World Cup qualifiers is a proof that this team will be able to prove their critics wrong.
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