Iran striker Sardar Azmoun has been left out of the squad for World Cup warm-ups amid reports of expulsion over alleged disloyalty, sparking controversy.
Sardar Azmoun, one of Iran's top football players, has been expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government, Iranian media has reported.
Iran's national football team is training in Turkey for upcoming friendlies as they prepare for the FIFA World Cup, facing heightened attention due to geopolitical tensions.
Iran's men's national soccer team wore black armbands and held schoolbags as their anthem played ahead of a match in Turkey on Friday, in what a team official said was a protest over the killing of schoolgirls on the first day of the Iran war.
Japan's march to the 2026 World Cup continued on Tuesday as Hajime Moriyasu's side handed China a 3-1 defeat in Xiamen while Iran eked out a late 3-2 win over Kyrgyzstan and South Korea were held to a 1-1 draw by Palestine.
Images from the FIFA World Cup Group B match between Wales and Iran on Friday.
Iran were deserved winners even if they left it very late.
Carlos Queiroz's players will now fancy their chances after an impressive display
Koopmeiners leads Atalanta past Milan into Coppa semis
Defender Ehsan Hajsafi became on Sunday the first member of Iran's national team to speak out from the World Cup in Doha in apparent support of anti-government protests at home, saying players should be the voice of those suffering.
Sevilla will bid for a record-extending seventh Europa League title when they face AS Roma in the final in Budapest on May 31, after Jose Mourinho's side drew 0-0 at Bayer Leverkusen to secure a 1-0 aggregate victory in their semi-final.
England fans, the majority of whom will be watching on sofas and in pubs back home, have rightly lauded Southgate but patience is beginning to run out.
Christian Pulisic has had a season to forget for Chelsea but in the blue shirt of his beloved United States he scored the goal that gave them their first win at the 2022 World Cup and a spot in the last-16.
The United States stormed into the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday by beating Iran 1-0 at a cacophonous Al Thumama Stadium after Christian Pulisic bundled the ball home in a Group B showdown shrouded by decades of enmity between the two nations.
After the match, jubilant Iranians danced and cheered as they streamed out of the ground.
Three-times champions Iran came through an early scare before marching confidently into the Asian Cup quarter-finals for the 13th time in 14 attempts with a 2-0 victory over a spirited Oman team.
Aziz Bouhaddouz headed an own goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Iran a stunning 1-0 victory over Morocco in the first Group B game of the World Cup on Friday.
Rattled by embarrassing domestic defeats, Chelsea looked jittery before Olivier Giroud settled their nerves with a close range tap-in shortly after halftime at StamfordBridge following good work by N'Golo Kante and Willian in the build-up.
Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Pavel Matiash pushed the ball into his own net five minutes into the second half to cancel out Akhlidin Israilov's first-half opener before Yu secured the points for China with a calm finish 12 minutes from time.
Iraq beat Iran 7-6 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup on Friday after the two Middle Eastern rivals played out one of the most extraordinary matches in the tournament's history.
The FIFA 2022 World Cup will kick-off in Qatar on Sunday, November 20. Here is a list of the 26-man squads playing in the quadrennial global football extravaganza.
Morocco and Iran's hopes of making a mark at the World Cup before a ball has been kicked, and they head into their opening match in St Petersburg on Friday knowing defeat could likely mean an early exit.
The stability and pragmatism of Carlos Queiroz's seven-year reign has firmly established Iran's as Asia's number one team, but the nation will go to the World Cup hoping to advance for the first time to the knockout phase.
Iran handed Cambodia a record-breaking 14-0 thrashing on an historic day in Tehran as goals flowed in World Cup qualifiers across Asia with Japan, South Korea and Australia securing comfortable wins on Thursday.
Images and summary of all the World Cup 2022 qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
A round-up of Wednesday's night's UEFA Chmpions League matches.
Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League following a 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich on Wednesday, failing to make it past the group stage of the competition for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group B match played between Portugal and Iran in Saransk on Monday
Images and a round-up of all the World Cup qualifiers played across continents on Tuesday.
Images from Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Indian football team's dismal run continued as they suffered a humiliating 0-4 loss to Iran in a Group D match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday night.
The 33-year-old Real Madrid forward's individual brilliance has glossed over Portugal's dour performances in their first two matches and Fernando Santos's side have mostly appeared like a one-man team.
India slumped to their third successive loss in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualfiers as they suffered a 0-3 thrashing at the hands of mighty Iran in a group match.
Mbappe and Benzema inspire France to 2-0 win against Finland
While Lyon rallied to hold Leipzig 2-2 after a Memphis Depay strike, it was the English clubs who made a mark on the night. Liverpool and Chelsea moved into the last 16 with contrasting wins and now all four English clubs, including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, are in the Champions League knockouts this season.
The repeated use of the technology appeared to contribute to a bad-tempered second half between Iran and Portugal which saw players feigning injury and repeatedly mobbing the referee.
IMAGES from the Europa League matches played on Thursday
RB Leipzig scored twice in the opening 13 minutes but had to survive a late comeback from Manchester United to cling on to a 3-2 win on Tuesday that sent them into the Champions League knockout stage and eliminated the English side.
Coach Pep Guardiola was left thrilled after ManchesterCity revived their Champions League bid by beating his old club Barcelona 3-1 in a gloriously open Group C encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
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