TEHRAN – Iran football team head coach Amir Ghalenoei says that they are going to do something epic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Thrice continental champions and semi-finalists at the previous two editions of the Asian Cup, Iran are a long-established juggernaut on their home patch. Translating that continental success to global impact has though proven a tougher than expected ask.

Regular participants they may be, with the nation having qualified for five of the past six editions of the FIFA World Cup, but Iran are still surprisingly searching for a maiden appearance in the knockout stage.

Across half a dozen tournament outings, Team Melli have made an early exit on each occasion, with only three wins from their 18 matches to date.

The belief internally is that the current side, blessed with a fine generation of experienced talent, is the one poised to finally end that run of outs, as head coach Ghalenoei explains to FIFA.

“We've had many problems recently, but the players tried their best and made sacrifices. They worked so hard [through qualification] and sacrificed a lot, so it is my job to thank them.

“They can do something epic in the World Cup. They can do it; they have the technical potential to make this a World Cup to remember.”

Situated in a group containing a trio of continental heavyweights in the form of Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand, the going certainly won’t be easy. Ghalenoei can though take comfort from a qualification campaign that his side made fairly light work of, as well as a string of solid results thereafter.

Outside of the three co-hosts, Iran were the third nation to secure qualification, doing so on 20 March last year, five days after their AFC brethren Japan became the first nation to punch their ticket to North America.

Their only defeat in those 16 AFC preliminaries came at the hands of Qatar, after qualification was already secure. Since then, they’ve reached the final of the CAFA Nations Cup and drawn with fellow World Cup-bound nations Cabo Verde and Uzbekistan at an invitational tournament in the United Arab Emirates last year.

Another invitational event, held in Turkey last month, saw a narrow loss at the hands of Nigeria, followed by a thumping 5-0 win against Costa Rica.

Set against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict that has shuttered the domestic league, forced the national team to play abroad and created numerous logistical issues, the veteran coach is proud of his team’s resolve.

“I am really proud of this team for many reasons, because we've faced a difficult situation with all the problems and concerns, one of which was being unable to host games, but we were one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup.

“Iran have a special talent whereby in tough times we find or create solutions. We managed to get to this level in spite of a difficult situation. Currently, there are two months to go until the World Cup, but we are in very difficult moment.

“My view though is that through football we can bring joy to families and Iranian society, both inside and outside the country. Football is a concept or project that can bring states and nations closer together. That can be national or global, like Argentina or Brazil having fans everywhere.

“Football in Iran is also like that and I hope that through football we can bring about national unity, despite the current problems in our country. We love our people and want to bring them happiness. I hope we can do that through football.

“My goal is for there to be no war anywhere in the world so people can enjoy football and enjoy their lives. This is my message through football to the world and my people.

“We want to create some great memories at this World Cup. We're ready with the experience that the team has from previous World Cups to make it through to the knock-out round for the first time. We won't be satisfied with just the group stage but I want us to play good football, not just try to get results.

“I also want to thank our wonderful fans, both inside and outside the country, who have stuck by the national team. They are the reason we managed to qualify. I probably had the least important role of anyone,” Ghalenoei concluded.