Sardar Azmoun left out as Iran announce World Cup 2026 squad

Veteran striker Azmoun was not named in the 30-man squad, which will be trimmed to 26 by June 1.Experienced 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.The 31-year-old striker, who plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for Dubai’s Shabab Al-Ahli, upset the Iranian authorities in March by posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, according to reports in Iranian media.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. The player later removed the picture but was still lambasted on state TV.Azmoun has scored 57 goals in his 91 appearances for his country and was part of Iran’s squad in its last two appearances at the World Cup.Iran’s forward line at the World Cup will be led by Mehdi Taremi, who has played in major European football leagues and is currently plying his trade at Olympiacos FC in the top tier of Greek football.The 30-member squad will travel to Turkiye on Monday for a training camp, friendlies and to complete visa applications before heading to the United States, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said.Team Melli will be returning to Antalya, where they trained and played friendlies in March.