How Did Iran Qualify for Qatar 2022?

The Asian international football scene has never been this popular. As the game grows around the world, the biggest continent is bound to account for a few column inches. Sure, Europe and South America are always going to demand attention, yet Asia ensures excellent value for money due to the competitive nature of the division.

While Iran’s Persian league still flies under the radar for many overseas football fans, it has been steadily growing in popularity and exposure in recent years. What’s more, the national team appears to have stolen a march on the opposition as far as the World Cup Asian Qualifiers are concerned. As a result, they are the safest bet to qualify for Qatar from the region. Here’s why.

They’ve Already Done It

Week 7 of the Third Round featured a grudge match between Iran and Iraq. The former had the home advantage, which proved to count for a lot as Dragan Skočić’s men overcame Iraq 1-0, with Medhi Taremi scoring the winning goal in the 49th minute. Although the forward plays in Portugal for Porto, it could end up being the most important strike of his career as it sent his nation through to its sixth appearance at the World Cup Finals.

Since they are 10 points clear of the UAE in third place with three matches left to play and two teams qualifying, Iran can’t be knocked out. As a result, they are the only Asian side other than Qatar to have made it to the World Cup proper in the winter.

How Did They Do It?

Iran didn’t reinvent the wheel to make it to Qatar. Indeed, the strategy was as traditional as it gets - score more than the opposition and try not to concede. So far, it’s worked perfectly since Skočić has masterminded a Third Round qualifying run that has seen his team outscore every country in both groups, barring Australia. Seeing as Iran can rely on the talents of Sardar Azmoun, Karim Ansarifard and Taremi - who have 22 goals between them this campaign – it’s not overly surprising.

On the flip side, Iran’s stinginess at the back has provided the foundation for the squad to win six games out of seven, drawing one. No other side can boast a better Goals Against record in the Asian qualifying round so far. South Korea, for example, has an equal GA record, but the team has managed three fewer goals so far.

What’s Next?

Despite having already secured their plane ticket to Qatar, Iran won’t rest on their laurels for the final games of the group. After all, the South Koreans are two points behind the Group A leaders, meaning that the top spot is up for grabs. And one of the games is against South Korea away from home in March.

That might decide which nation qualifies as the number one seed from the Asian division, which is based on the World Rankings at the time. Of course, every competitive game counts towards the rankings. Therefore, the Iranians will be desperate to perform to the best of their abilities in the games remaining.

Iran have booked their place at World Cup 2022 convincingly. However, how the nation performs at the Finals is another matter entirely.