Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the 2026 World Cup qualifier match.
Following the September matches, Uzbekistan and Iran sit at the top of Group A, as they are the only teams to have secured maximum points from the first two rounds. These sides are already familiar with one another, having faced off in the previous stage of the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Uzbekistan
At this year's Asian Cup, Uzbekistan were eliminated in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Qatar (1:2 after penalties), leaving a positive impression with their performance. Since then, the team has maintained a six-match unbeaten streak. However, they haven't faced strong competition—against Iran (0:0) in June, Iran had the better chances to win (7-12 in shots).
Iran
Despite narrow wins against Kyrgyzstan and UAE (both 1:0), Iran are rated higher than Uzbekistan in the current qualification round. This is largely due to the form of their key players; Mehdi Taremi from Inter has been in stellar form, recently contributing 1+2 against Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League (4:0), and earning a nomination for player of the week. The team has more options to strengthen their play, including Sardar Azmoun, Saman Ghoddos, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
Uzbekistan vs Iran Prediction
Iran have been unbeaten in head-to-heads with Uzbekistan for nearly 12 years (nine games in a row—seven wins and two draws). It seems likely that the Iranian side will once again edge closer to victory.
