Soccer
Nigeria trade tackles with Iran in Antalya, Turkey, later today in the first of two friendly games arranged for the Super Eagles, Soccernet.ng reports.
World Cup-bound Team Melli were initially expected to withdraw from these fixtures following the United States-Israel war involving Iran. However, the Princes of Persia are keen to proceed as planned, although the matches had to be moved from Amman, Jordan, to Turkey for safety reasons after the outbreak of the conflict.
After taking on the Super Eagles on Friday, Iran will meet Costa Rica on Tuesday, while Nigeria will face Jordan on the same day. The winner of the four-nation invitational tournament will be determined afterwards.
Iran’s key players: Mehdi Taremi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Olympiacos striker Mehdi Taremi is likely to lead the attack for the three-time Asian champions. The former FC Porto and Inter Milan forward has been a consistent performer for the national team for more than a decade.
At 33, he is still going strong, with 10 goals and three assists in just 19 games in the Greek Super League this season.
With 56 goals, he is the third-highest goalscorer in his country’s history. One more goal against Nigeria would see him climb to second place. He will be especially motivated heading into this clash.
Jahanbakhsh, meanwhile, is a flying winger who offers pace, creativity, and excellent crossing ability.
The 32-year-old Dender EH star boasts a career that includes spells in the Dutch Eredivisie and the Premier League, where he featured for Feyenoord and Brighton.
An experienced attacker who represented Iran at the FIFA World Cups in 2014, 2018, and 2022, Jahanbakhsh will test Nigeria’s full-backs as he looks to combine effectively with Taremi.
Interestingly, star striker Sardar Azmoun is not in the squad to face Nigeria.
Azmoun is the second-most expensive Iranian player of all time and was also the youngest to score in a UEFA Champions League match.
However, the former Roma and Bayer Leverkusen forward was omitted from the squad after posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Local media reported that Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 international appearances, had been expelled from the national team for what was perceived as an act of disloyalty to the government.
Iran’s form in their last five games: LWWLL
November 18 2025: Lost 5-4 on penalties to ten-man Uzbekistan after a goalless draw in a friendly
November 13: Another friendly against Cape Verde ended goalless before Iran triumphed 5-4 on penalties
October 14: Team Melli secured a fine 2-0 friendly win against Tanzania
October 10: The Persians fell to a 2-1 defeat in a friendly against Russia
September 8: Uzbekistan claimed a 1-0 extra-time win over Iran in the knockout round of the CAFA Nations Cup
Head-to-head against Nigeria
Friday’s meeting will be the third between Nigeria and Iran. The Super Eagles have won one and drawn one of the previous two encounters.
A Garba Ahmad strike handed the three-time African champions a 1-0 win over the Asians in the Carlsberg Cup in 1998. The two teams also played out a goalless draw in the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Rankings
Iran are ranked 20th in the FIFA World Rankings, six places above the Super Eagles.
Did you know?
Iran have appeared at six editions of the FIFA World Cup but have never progressed beyond the group stage.
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