After making a historic debut at India 2022, Iran showed grit in a challenging qualifying campaign that ended with a win against favorites Jordan to seal back-to-back Finals appearances.
The Central Asian side’s road to Australia 2026 started emphatically, a statement 4-0 win over Singapore was followed by a comprehensive 7-1 defeat of Bhutan.
However, a 3-1 defeat to Lebanon left their hopes hanging by a thread and only a victory against Jordan would secure qualification.
Marziyeh Jafari’s charges rose to the occasion, claiming a 2-1 triumph to confirm their ticket to the Finals with the head coach hailing her players’ perseverance and ability to overcome adversity.
The qualifying campaign, however, showed Jafari that there’s much more work lying ahead if they are to better their group stage outing at the previous edition.
In 2022, Iran suffered defeats against China PR (7-0) and Chinese Taipei (5-0) and Jafari will be determined to - at the very least - show that the Central Asian side will be able to stand on their own among Asia’s elite.
Key players stepped up in the qualifiers with Fatemeh Shaban leading the scoring charts with five goals while Sara Didar, Zahra Ghanbari and Negin Zandi all shone with braces as their contributions gave Iran a sharper attacking edge.
With Iran’s growing experience, the combination of tactical discipline and fighting mentality means they can’t be discounted at Australia 2026, the-afc.com reported.