← All signals

Iran U23 travel to Asian Games with 5 players missing

Iran's U23 football team departs for the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games tonight with only 18 of the 23-man squad present. Five players are absent: four due to club commitments in the AFC Champions League Elite and one legionnaire forward.

What it means

• Only 18 of 23 players are with the squad for the trip to Nagoya, Japan.
• Esmaeil Gholizadeh, Saeid Saharkhizan, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia (Esteghlal) and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor) are absent due to AFC Champions League Elite duties.
• Reza Ghandipour, a legionnaire forward, is also not present.
• The team faces a tough group with UAE, China, and North Korea, starting September 16.

Model read

Iran U23 is notably weakened for the start of the Asian Games, missing five key players and having had little preparation time, which could hurt their early group matches.

All signals for this team: Iran U23