PREVIEW: Iran seek first World Cup knockout stage appearance | OneFootball

Iran’s participation in this year’s World Cup is something of a surprise, but a welcome one for supporters in need of an escape from current events.

The Western Asians were the third team to reach this summer’s showpiece, sealing their fifth successive appearance thanks to a rollercoaster 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan.

But at one point it looked like Amir Ghalenoei’s side wouldn’t even make the tournament after decades of simmering tensions with the United States’ government climaxed into a full scale conflict in February.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has previously stated his distaste for football getting “dragged into political battles”, but it cannot be ignored that one of the host countries for this year’s event is at warwith a participant – a situation made even more awkward given said country is governed by the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize winner.

And according to the Iranian embassy in Turkey, where Team Melli have been training, that isn’t the only controversy to have befallen the Middle Eastern nation.

Players and some support staff were recently granted visas after a threat to boycott the competition, though allegations of the US administration denying visas to key members of Ghalenoei’s backroom team – including, supposedly, the head of the football federation and his deputy – soon arose.

Ghalenoei’s outfit will also be required to enter and leave the US on the same day as their matches after moving their base from Tucson, Arizona to fellow host nation Mexico in May.

Away from geopolitics, Ghalenoei’s men face further obstacles from their own government. The most notable of these is the exile of Sardar Azmoun, with the ex-Roma forward dropped after a social media post which showed him meeting with UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at a time when the countries were engaged in conflict.

In his absence Mehdi Taremi, who top-scored during qualifying with ten goals, will be expected to shoulder the burden of steering his side to their first ever appearance in the knockout stages.

The three-time Asian Cup winners enter into the tournament on the back of a 3-1 friendly win over Gambia, but their back line featuring veteran defenders Shoja Khalilzadeh and Mohammadhossein Kanaani was often caught out.

At just 22 years old, promising centre-back Daniel Eiri might not be bale to account for lapses in concentration single-handedly.

Age also represents a significant concern, with Team Melli having the second oldest squad in the tournament behind Panama, and political disagreements run the risk of creating a fractured climate in a camp which dearly needs unity.

But on the other hand, players like Mehdi Taremi represents the kind of experience that Iran will profit from in crunch moments – having scored 10 goals this season for Olympiakos and 52 goals across 95 international appearances.

There are some positives for Iran, though. With a tall squad they should have little problem profiting from set pieces, whilst Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Dennis Eckert offer additional quality in midfield and up top having played in major European leagues.

The expansion to 48 teams, meanwhile, provides the possibility of going through as one of the best third placed sides – something which is doable in a kind Group G.

Belgium will represent a significant challenge following an unbeaten qualification campaign, but with Salah on the wane Egypt aren’t quite the force they once were – despite sealing their spot with a game to spare.

As for this year’s lowest-ranked side New Zealand, they will plucky but are widely expected to be up against it for the entirety of their group stage campaign.

Iran kick off their campaign at 02:00 (BST) against them on June 16th, with live coverage available on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.