Sardar Azmoun, known as 'Iranian Messi,' left off country's World Cup squad after being accused of 'treason'

Iran announced its 26-man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday, and Sardar Azmoun, nicknamed the "Iranian Messi," was not on it.

Coach Amir Ghalenoei had Azmoun dropped from Iran’s national soccer squad in March, and it was reportedly due to a social media post that angered Iranian authorities.

Azmoun, a 31-year-old striker who is well known for his time playing for Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma, posted a photo alongside the Emir of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is a known U.S. ally and has shown support for President Donald Trump’s involvement in the war against Iran.

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Azmoun, who has over 5.8 million followers on Instagram, quickly deleted the photo, but it was up long enough to anger authorities, and he was accused of "treason" and a "disloyal act."

Azmoun won’t be joining those from his country, including fellow star striker Mehdi Taremi, who plays for Olympiacos in Greece. Taremi was among the nine players who have been a part of clubs overseas this year.

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Iran is bringing 17 players who star for teams within the country, though they haven’t played since February because of the war in the Middle East.

The team has been training in Antalya, Türkiye, but they will be heading for Tijuana, Mexico, on Friday to their base for the World Cup.

There had been considerable speculation about whether Iran would participate in the World Cup or not, as the war created a potential conflict despite them qualifying for the tournament. FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed in April that Iran would still compete, though they had an issue with their group matches being played on U.S. soil.

Their team base was previously set for Tucson, Arizona, but Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, announced late last month that they would be moved to Tijuana. The move possibly coincides with uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns.

Also, Iran’s federation said moving the camp would resolve potential visa issues since the team will enter the U.S. through Mexico.

Taj noted in a statement that the football federation submitted requests to change its base, and the requests were approved. But FIFA didn’t change Iran’s group matches upon a previous request, meaning they will begin their Group G schedule against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on June 15 as originally set. They will also play in Los Angeles against Belgium on June 21, followed by a match against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

Iran and the U.S. have a chance to meet each other in the tournament if they both finish second in their respective groups. Iran, though, has never made it out of the group stage of the World Cup despite reaching four consecutive tournaments.

The U.S. and Iran faced off in 2022, when Christian Pulisic scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory to send them through to the Round of 16.

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