Ghalenoei remain as Iran head coach despite World Cup disappointment

TEHRAN – Amir Ghalenoei will remain head coach of the Iran national football team and will lead Team Melli into the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, despite the country’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) confirmed that Ghalenoei has retained the confidence of its leadership after Iran failed to progress from Group G in the World Cup.

 Team Melli opened the tournament with a 2-2 draw against New Zealand before playing out a goalless stalemate with Belgium. A 1-1 draw against Egypt in the final group match left Iran without a victory, and the team narrowly missed out on a place in the knockout stage, failing to qualify as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed sides.

The World Cup exit marked another major setback for Ghalenoei, who also fell short of expectations at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Iran’s hopes of ending a long wait for continental glory were dashed in the semi-finals, where they suffered defeat to hosts Qatar.

Despite those results, FFIRI president Mehdi Taj has publicly backed the 61-year-old coach to continue in charge.

“Mr. Ghalenoei will remain the head coach of the national team. We have already received his plans for the AFC Asian Cup,” Taj said.

He also revealed that preparations for the next international window are about to begin.

“The national team’s training camp for the upcoming FIFA international window will start soon. There are also several developments planned for our national teams.”