On Tuesday, Team Melli will play its final match in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round 2 qualification against Uzbekistan.
The match will determine who will lead the group as both teams have accumulated 13 points from their five matches with Iran leading by the +12 goal difference while Uzbekistan is +9.
The first time these two teams met was in the 1998 Asin Games in Bangkok, where Ali Daei single-handedly swept past the Uzbek with a hat trick, and Ali Mosavi completed the rout with a goal.
It took 14 years for Uzbekistan to register its first and only win against Iran in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Azmoun, Taremi, and Daei are jointly the top scorers against Uzbekistan with 3 goals each.
Group E standing
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF/GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IRAN | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 16-4 | +12 | 13 |
| 2 | UZBEKISTAN | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13-4 | +9 | 13 |
| 3 | TURKMENISTAN | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4-14 | -10 | 1 |
| 4 | HONG KONG | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4-15 | -11 | 1 |
All Time Heas2Head records
| ID | Date | Opponent | Match Type | Score | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2196 | 1998-12-14 | Uzbekistan | Asian Games | 4 – 0 | W | Daei (3),Mousavi |
| 2333 | 2007-07-11 | Uzbekistan | Asian Cup | 2 – 1 | W | Azmoun, Taremi |
| 2398 | 2009-09-05 | Uzbekistan | Friendly | 0 – 0 | D | |
| 2449 | 2012-06-03 | Uzbekistan | World Cup Qualifier | 1 – 0 | W | Khalatbary |
| 2457 | 2012-11-14 | Uzbekistan | World Cup Qualifier | 0 – 1 | L | |
| 2495 | 2015-06-11 | Uzbekistan | Friendly | 1 – 0 | W | Torabi |
| 2510 | 2016-10-06 | Uzbekistan | World Cup Qualifier | 1 – 0 | W | Hosseini |
| 2516 | 2017-06-12 | Uzbekistan | World Cup Qualifier | 2 – 0 | W | Azmoun , Taremi |
| 2529 | 2018-05-19 | Uzbekistan | Friendly | 1 – 0 | W | Cheshmi |
| 2538 | 2018-09-11 | Uzbekistan | Friendly | 1 – 0 | W | Torabi |
| 2563 | 2020-10-08 | Uzbekistan | Friendly | 2 – 1 | W | Azmoun, Taremi |
| 2594 | 2023-06-20 | Uzbekistan | CAFA Nations Cup | 1 – 0 | W | Azmoun |
| 2597 | 2023-11-21 | Uzbekistan | World Cup Qualifier | 2 – 2 | D | Rezaeian, Taremi |
Summary
| MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | win% | GPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 76.9% | 1.38 |
Scorers
| Scorer | Goals |
|---|---|
| Ali DAEI | 3 |
| Sardar AZMOUN | 3 |
| Mehdi TAREMI | 3 |
| Jalal HOSSEINI | 2 |
| Mehdi TORABI | 2 |
| Javad KAZEMIAN | 1 |
| Ali MOUSAVI | 1 |
| MohamadReza KHALATBARY | 1 |
| Rouzbeh CHESHMI | 1 |
| Ramin REZAEIAN | 1 |