Sardar Azmoun, who plays for UAE club Shabab Al Ahli, has been expelled for an Instagram post with Dubai’s ruler, according to reports.
Published March 20, 2026
Sardar Azmoun, one of Iran’s top soccer players, has been expelled from the national team for acts deemed disloyal to the government, making him unlikely to play in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Iranian media reported.
Iran’s participation in the global soccer extravaganza is clouded by an ongoing dispute with the United States, which co-hosts the tournament from June 11 to July 19 with Mexico and Canada.
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If Team Melli does play in the opening group game, it will undoubtedly be weakened by the absence of striker Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 international games since making his debut as a teenager in 2014.
Azmoun, who plays club soccer for Dubai club Shabab Al Ahly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), angered Iranian authorities this week when he posted a photo of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on his Instagram feed.
Iran has launched rocket and drone attacks on the UAE after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in an airstrike by the United States and Israel.
Fars news agency, which is linked to the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that Azmoun had been expelled from the team, citing “sources within the national team.”
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Azmoun later deleted the photo but was still condemned on state television on Thursday, with soccer commentator Mohammad Misagi saying the striker’s actions were an act of dishonesty.
“It’s unfortunate that people don’t have enough sense to understand what actions are appropriate at any given time,” Misagi said.
“We should not have words with such people. They should be told that they do not deserve to wear the national team jersey.”
“We cannot put up with this petulant and childish behavior. National team players should be worthy of proudly singing the national anthem and wearing the Iran jersey.”
The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Azmoun, 31, is one of the most famous soccer players in Iran, where soccer is a national obsession.
He played his entire club career abroad with the likes of Zenit St. Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen and Roma, and represented Iran at the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
An unsourced report on Novado News Channel said on Thursday that an order had been issued to seize the assets of Azmoun, fellow UAE-based national team forward Mehdi Gaidi and former international Soroush Rafiei.
Misaghi spoke against the background of photos from a ceremony welcoming the Iranian women’s national team to Tehran after returning from Australia.
Seven members of the Iranian delegation accepted asylum in Australia after their team was branded “wartime traitors” on Iranian state television for not singing the national anthem before a Women’s Asian Cup match. The five then decided to return to Iran.
As part of their World Cup preparations, the Iranian men’s national team is scheduled to play friendly matches against Nigeria in Turkiye, Antalya on March 27, and against Costa Rica four days later.
