TEHRAN - The Iranian national football team’s squad announcement for the upcoming CAFA 2025 tournament by head coach Amir Ghalenoei has sparked notable criticism.

While it’s undeniable that squad selection ultimately rests on the coach’s preferences, the choice of players and the tournament’s overall quality raise significant concerns regarding the preparation of Team Melli ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

First and foremost, the CAFA tournament itself is widely regarded as a competition with a relatively low competitive standard. Iran’s group includes Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan, teams ranked far below Iran in FIFA’s global standings.

Afghanistan, for instance, are positioned at 161st in the world and 32nd in Asia, with a very limited track record of success in official competitions. India and Tajikistan also fall well outside the top 100. This level of opposition hardly presents a rigorous test for a team ranked 18th globally. The strongest opponents in the tournament, Uzbekistan, ranked 57th, are in a different group altogether, making Iran’s path comparatively easier.

This begs the question: why is Iran participating in a tournament where the level of opposition is unlikely to provide meaningful preparation? The failure to secure higher-quality friendly matches or invite stronger opponents appears to have left the national team with no choice but to accept CAFA as a warm-up event.

Furthermore, the squad list itself has caused some criticism. Instead of using this tournament to give young players important international experience, Amir Ghalenoei has mostly chosen older, more experienced players. Some of these players don’t have a club right now or don’t play regularly. Notably, veterans like Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are included even though they don’t have a club at the moment, and 35-year-old Ramin Rezaeian was picked instead of younger, promising players.

This approach results in a high average squad age of 27.9 years, with only two players under 23 years old. Sixty percent of the roster falls into the 23-28 age bracket, leaving limited room for nurturing the next generation ahead of the World Cup. Such cautious selection risks missing a crucial opportunity to build a dynamic, future-ready squad.

In summary, the CAFA 2025 tournament represents a missed opportunity for the Iranian national team. The combination of a low-tier competitive environment and a conservative squad selection undermines the potential benefits of the event.

With the 2026 World Cup looming, it’s imperative for the coaching staff and federation to reconsider their approach, prioritize challenging fixtures, and invest in youth development to truly prepare the team for the global stage.