Top Iran star 'expelled' from national team over UAE photo op amid World Cup tension

Tom Weber

• Updated: 18 Mar 2026 07:36 CDT
• 4 min read

News

Former Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma striker Sardar Azmoun has reportedly been "expelled" from the Iranian national team after posting pictures of himself with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates.

The 31-year-old has been playing in the UAE since 2024, when he left Bayer Leverkusen for Shabab Al-Ahli in a €5 million deal. Azmoun, who has 91 caps and an impressive 57 goals to his name for his country, is one of Iran's most recognisable players.

However, the striker has likely played his final match for Team Melli. Having previously shown support for anti-government protests, Azmoun has now been removed from the national team after a photo op with UAE leaders Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In a now-deleted Instagram story, Azmoun wrote: "Meeting one of the most successful minds in the world was a pleasure and an honour." According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked Fars News Agency, this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Azmoun has "betrayed the homeland"

Azmoun, who has not made a statement condemning the US-Israeli attack on Iran, has been accused of "collaborating with the enemy" and of "betraying the homeland."

As a result, he has been removed from the national team, a "knowledgeable source" told the government-aligned outlet. He is also expected to face legal action, which is likely to include having his property confiscated.

The UAE is one of the United States' key allies in the region and has repeatedly been targeted for retaliatory strikes by Iran since the outbreak of open conflict. In fact, Reuters reports that the Gulf nation has faced more attacks than any country, including Israel.

Anwar Gargash, an advisor to the UAE president, has this week urged the US to fully disarm Iran so that it can no longer "terrorise the region," while absolving the US and Israel of any blame for the war.

While it is now clear that Azmoun will not feature at the World Cup this summer, it remains uncertain whether Iran will participate. FIFA announced on Tuesday that it was in ongoing dialogue with Team Melli.

However, the statement added that "FIFA is looking forward to all participating teams competing as per the match schedule announced on 6 December 2025."

This, obviously, won't happen because Iran are slated to play their three group games in the US. Last week, Donald Trump effectively threatened the team by saying: "I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety."

Iranian football boss Mehdi Taj responded by writing on social media: "When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America."

A post from Team Melli insisted that "no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup." Consequently, Taj confirmed that there were discussions with FIFA over moving Iran's games to Mexico.

But with Tuesday's statement, FIFA appeared to effectively dismiss Taj's proposal, once again casting doubt on Iran's participation.

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