Intensive Efforts to Secure Azmoun's Return to Iran's National Team

The crisis of excluding the Iranian international star Sardar Azmoun, the forward of the UAE's Shabab Al Ahli Club, has reached a critical turning point as the countdown to the start of the 2026 World Cup finals approaches.

Informed sources close to the corridors of the Iranian Football Federation revealed that there are "high-level" moves led by the federation's president and the national team's technical staff to persuade the relevant authorities to reverse the decision to exclude the player, which was made for political reasons.

According to leaked information, the national team's coach, Amir Ghalenoei, submitted a detailed technical report to the Iranian federation, warning that Azmoun's absence would weaken "Team Melli's" striking force in the tough World Cup group.

The sources confirmed that the technical staff and the federation continued their efforts with the relevant sovereign authorities to obtain an "exception" or official approval allowing the player to join the national team's last training camp. However, these efforts have not resulted in any official approval being issued at the time of preparing this report.