Al Wakrah B · Tercera División RFEF - Promotion - Play-offs · Defender · #3 · Qatar · 20 yrs
Entering its 7th World Cup in 2026, Iran is heading to the competition as one of the best Asian nations in the FIFA Ranking. Following a series of logistical headaches and visa hurdles, Iran is set to kick off its seventh appearance at the 2026 World Cup in North America. Widely considered one of Asia’s most formidable squads, Team Melli enters the tournament with a singular goal: finally breaking through to the knockout stage for the first time in country history. As of the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking prior to the beginning of the competition, Iran sits in 20th place globally with 1,619.58 points. Trailing only 18th-ranked Japan as the second-highest-rated Asian nation on the board, Iran’s current standing is just a few slots shy of its all-time high water mark back in August 2005, when the team peaked at No. 15 in the world. Interestingly, Iran enters Group G as the second-highest-ranked team in the cluster. Powerhouse Belgium leads the pack at No. 9 with 1,742.23 points, followed by Iran, while Egypt looms at No. 29 with 1,562.36 points. New Zealand brings up the rear at No. 85 with 1,275.58 points, making the All Whites the lowest-ranked nation in the entire tournament field. Due to strained diplomatic relations with the U.S., the Iranian delegation had to navigate a minefield of obstacles just to get here, at one point facing the real possibility of missing the tournament entirely. Ultimately, special arrangements were made to keep them in the mix, including a unique setup where Team Melli moved its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, requiring them to cross the border directly on match days. Members of the Iranian national soccer team arrive at Tijuana International Airport. The 2026 tournament marks Iran’s fourth consecutive World Cup appearance, a model of consistency matched in Asia only by South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Australia. Sporting an all-time tournament record of 3-4-11, Iran will look to rewrite its history books and survive the group stage for the very first time. Iran’s 2026 World Cup schedule In both 2018 and 2022, Iran secured pivotal group-stage victories but ultimately fell just short of the knockout rounds, finishing third in their group both times. Now, with the tournament expanded to include wildcard spots for the best third-place finishers, Team Melli has a golden opportunity to finally shatter that glass ceiling. Iran opens its campaign against New Zealand in what shapes up as a mandatory three points for the Asian side. From there, the road gets significantly tougher as they clash with Belgium on June 21, before wrapping up group play against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt on the 27th, two heavyweight matchups despite Iran’s favorable edge in the FIFA rankings.
The Liverpool icon has little left to prove but will be key for his country as they look to end a near-century wait for a victory in a World Cup matchLast week Orange, one of Egypt’s leading mobile network operators, released a series of humorous adverts starring Egypt’s Ahmed Fatouh, Rami Rabia and Hossam Abdelmaguid, where the trio’s optimism is met with scepticism as partners and family members struggle to take them seriously. Their crime? Daring to suggest Egypt might finally progress beyond the group stage of a World Cup.If there is one thing Egyptians do particularly well, it is self-deprecation. Perhaps that comes from history. Despite winning the Africa Cup of Nations seven times, Egypt are still waiting for their first World Cup victory. The Pharaohs will kick off their fourth appearance at the tournament against Belgium on Monday knowing they failed to win any of their seven matches so far. That is the contradiction at the heart of Egyptian football. No African nation has won more continental titles, yet Egypt remain one of the continent’s World Cup underachievers. While other African nations aim to replicate Morocco’s 2022 semi-final success, many Egyptians would happily settle for something far more modest: a single group stage victory. Continue reading...
Making their final pre-World Cup appearance late on Sunday night, Brazil will meet Egypt at the Cleveland browns Stadium. With the 2026 World Cup officially set to get underway in the coming days, you can stay on top of all the most attractive intriguing betting promotions and bonuses. Verdict: Brazil win & Under 4.5 goals […] The post Prediction: Brazil vs Egypt appeared first on SoccerNews.
