Iran striker Sardar Azmoun, the third-highest goalscorer in the country’s history, has been left out of their World Cup squad.
Azmoun’s omission comes amid reports of “disloyalty” to the Iranian government.
The 31-year-old, who plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates, is said to have angered the regime by posting a photo of himself with UAE ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Instagram in March.
Azmoun was left out of Iran’s preliminary squad for the tournament and, despite pleas from the country’s vice president, Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, calling for his inclusion, he will not feature in North America.
The former Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and Zenit forward has 57 goals in 91 caps for Iran, who are still scheduled to play all of their games in the United States despite the ongoing conflict between the two nations.
Iran’s participation at the finals has been the subject of doubt since the beginning of the war on February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint airstrikes on the Gulf nation. In response, Iran attacked a range of US bases around the Gulf, including in the UAE.
The US and Iran remain locked in talks to end the conflict, though there have been recent escalations around the Strait of Hormuz, which remains blocked.
In a Truth Social post in March, US president Donald Trump wrote: “The Iran national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
Iran have subsequently moved their World Cup base to Mexico.
Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said: “We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico.
“The United States does not want the Iranian team to stay overnight, but they are going to play three matches there.
“So they asked us: ‘Can they stay overnight in Mexico?’ And we said: ‘Yes, no problem.’ We have no problem.”
Sheinbaum confirmed in March that FIFA had rejected a request for Iran’s games to be moved to Mexico.
Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15 in their opening Group G game. They will then face Belgium at the same venue before taking on Egypt in Seattle.
Iran squad in full
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand (Tractor), Seyed Hossein Hosseini (Sepahan), Payam Niazmand (Persepolis)
Defenders: Danial Eiri (Zob Ahan Esfahan), Ehsan Hajsafi (Sepahan), Saleh Hardani (Esteghlal), Hossein Kanaani (Persepolis), Shoja Khalilzadeh (Tractor), Milad Mohammadi (Persepolis), Ali Nemati (Foolad), Ramin Rezaeian (Foolad)
Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi (Esteghlal), Saeid Ezatolahi (Shabab Al Ahli), Mehdi Ghaedi (Al-Nasr), Saman Ghoddos (Kalba), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al Wahda), Alireza Jahanbakhsh (Dender), Mohammad Mohebi (Rostov), Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia (Esteghlal), Mehdi Torabi (Tractor), Aria Yousefi (Sepahan)
Forwards: Ali Alipour (Persepolis), Dennis Dargahi (Standard Liege), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor), Mehdi Taremi (Olympiacos), Shahriar Moghanlou (Kalba).
