Iran expels star striker Azmoun over 'disloyalty,' likely out of World Cup

Tehran – Iran’s all-time leading scorer Sardar Azmoun has been expelled from the national team only weeks before the World Cup kicks off across North America, leaving Team Melli to contemplate a first-round campaign shorn of its most prolific forward.

The 31-year-old striker, who has netted 57 goals in 91 senior appearances since his 2014 debut, was removed from the squad after Iranian authorities deemed a recent social-media post an act of disloyalty, the Fars News Agency reported on Thursday. The outlet, which maintains close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cited an unnamed national-team source confirming Azmoun’s banishment.

The controversy erupted when Azmoun, who plies his trade for UAE club Shabab Al-Ahli, uploaded a photograph to Instagram showing him alongside Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The image surfaced amid heightened regional tensions: Tehran has launched rocket and drone strikes against the Emirates in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli air raids that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Although Azmoun deleted the post, state television devoted prime airtime to denouncing the player on Thursday night.

“It’s unfortunate that you don’t have enough sense to understand what kind of behavior is appropriate at a given time,” football pundit Mohammad Misaghi declared on the broadcast. “We should not mince words with such people. They should be told that they are not worthy of wearing the national team jersey. We have no patience for this sulking and childish behavior. National team players should be people who proudly belt out the national anthem and deserve to wear the Iran jersey.”

The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran did not respond to requests for comment, but the fallout has already widened: an unsourced report on the Novad News channel claimed that judicial authorities have ordered the seizure of assets belonging to Azmoun, fellow UAE-based forward Mehdi Ghayedi, and former international Soroush Rafiei.

Azmoun’s absence would deal a severe blow to a side already operating under a cloud. Iran’s participation in the June 11-July 19 tournament—co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada—remains uncertain given the deteriorating geopolitical climate between Tehran and Washington. Should Team Melli take their place in the group stage, they will now face the prospect of attacking depth depleted by the loss of a veteran marksman who featured prominently in both the 2018 and 2022 editions.

Preparations continue for now: the federation has scheduled friendlies against Nigeria on March 27 in Antalya, Turkey, and Costa Rica four days later. Yet with Azmoun exiled and questions swirling over squad unity, Iran’s World Cup blueprint has been thrown into disarray only months before the global showcase kicks off.