Iran enter the World Cup for a third consecutive time under former Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz. When he stood down in 2019 after 100 matches in command of the nation, it seemed improbable that it would happen, but following disappointing World Cup qualifying campaigns in charge of Colombia and Egypt, the Portuguese will be in Qatar after returning to coach Iran in September. Iran won their third qualifying group ahead of South Korea under the direction of former manager Dragan Skocic, and Queiroz will be looking to build on that success to build on a promising performance in Russia four years ago.
At that time, Iran under Queiroz defeated Morocco, drew with Portugal, and fell to Spain 1-0, missing out on a first-round berth by a single point. They will be the least anticipated of the Group B teams, but they have the ability to shock. But there will be more on the agenda than just what happens on the field. Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was charged that month with wearing a headscarf inappropriately, died in police custody. There were demonstrations against her death in the bleachers during Iran’s September matches, and the players showed their support.
Iran has given enough examples for those willing to look closely that they could pull off a shock or two in Qatar, despite being widely regarded as the underdogs in the group of England, the United States, and Wales. In contrast to England and Wales, who were eliminated from the Nations League in their final matches before the World Cup, and the USA, whose World Cup qualifying efforts fell short of expectations with losses to Saudi Arabia and Japan, Queiroz’s Iran won 1-0 over Uruguay and drew 1-1 with Africa Cup of Nations champion Senegal. Iran had less shots, less possession, and spent more time on the defensive in both games, but their defensive tenacity was noteworthy.
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