Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its “32 teams in 32 days” series, SPORTSNET.CA will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up to the draw on Dec. 6.
Iran has become some-regular competitors at the World Cup recently—their appearance in Brazil next summer will be their third in five tournaments. But don’t expect them to do anything. Iran, like most Asian nations, has neither the quality nor the depth of talent to compete against the top teams from around the world. Portuguese manager Carlos Queiroz has done very well to get Iran to the World Cup with a mostly domestic based roster. Another first round exit seems likely, though.
Programming alert: Watch the World Cup draw from Brazil on Dec. 6 live on all four main Sportsnet channels. Coverage begins at 10:30 am ET/7:30 am PT | TV schedule
How they got here: Iran cruised through the Asian qualifiers, going undefeated in six games during the semifinal group stage to finish ahead of Qatar. Impressively, they topped their group in the final round ahead of South Korea by winning five of eight games, with two losses. How consistent were they in the last round? Consider that Iran won four of their five matches by the same score line (1-0) and only conceded twice.
Key match: Actually, there were two in the final round of Asian qualifying. Fresh off a shocking 1-0 loss to Lebanon on matchday three, the Iranians responded their next time out with a 1-0 win over South Korea in Tehran last October. Then this past June on the last day of qualifying, Iran again defeated South Korea 1-0 in Ulsan to claim first place in the group and clinch a World Cup berth.
Star player: Age has not slowed down Javad Nekounam one bit. Although he’s on the wrong side of 30—he’s 33—Nekounam was a key figure for Iran in the qualifiers, scoring a team-leading six goals. A stylish central midfielder who played for six years in Spain with Osasuna, Nekounam combines expert passing ability with a sharp on-field awareness. Oh, and he has a rocket of a shot, especially from long distances.
Player on the bubble: Ashkan Dejagah is one of only a small handful of Iranians to play in the English Premier League, but the Fulham winger’s spot on the national team is far from secure. Dejagah was a semi-regular starter for the Cottagers last campaign, but now finds himself on the fringes of the team after suffering a calf injury that has restricted him to just two league appearances this season. More playing time with Fulham would certainly boost his chances of being named to Iran’s World Cup roster.
Team strengths: Confidence is certainly running high in the Iranian camp. Queiroz not only led the Persian Stars through a World Cup qualifying campaign, but he also successfully guided them through the qualifiers for next year’s Asian Cup finals in Australia. The Portuguese manager, who has only lost four times in 32 games since taking over the managerial reins in 2011, has extracted every ounce of ability and quality from an Iranian team that is greater than the total sum of his parts.
Team weaknesses: It’s hard to envision where the goals will come from in Brazil. Iran managed to score only eight times in eight games during the final round of qualifying, underlining the team’s lack of offensive punch and rather toothless attack. None of Iran’s forwards pose serious scoring threats, and none of them are genuine game-breakers.
World Cup record
- 1930 to 1970—Did not enter
- 1974—Did not qualify
- 1978—First round
- 1982 to 1994—Did not qualify
- 1998— First round
- 2002—Did not qualify
- 2006— First round
- 2010—Did not qualify
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