Sardar Azmoun left out as Iran announce World Cup 2026 squad
Key takeaways
- Veteran striker Azmoun was not named in the 30-man squad, which will be trimmed to 26 by June 1.
- Azmoun, who was reportedly expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government amid the US-Israel war on Iran, was not among the 30 players named in the squad on Saturday.
- A report on the Fars News Agency in March quoted “an informed source within the national team” as saying Azmoun had been expelled from the squad.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Veteran striker Azmoun was not named in the 30-man squad, which will be trimmed to 26 by June 1.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Iran's squad will train in Turkiye before the FIFA World Cup 2026 [File: Adem Altan/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters Published On 17 May 202617 May 2026Experienced forward Sardar Azmoun was a glaring omission as Iran named their preliminary World Cup squad before departing for a pre-tournament training camp.
Azmoun, who was reportedly expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government amid the US-Israel war on Iran, was not among the 30 players named in the squad on Saturday.