Team profile: Iran

Striker Reza “GuccI” Ghoochannejhad is playing his first World Cup this summer, but is undoubtedly one of Iran’s players to watch. Ghoochannejhad, a 26-year-old who was born in Iran and moved to the Netherlands as a child, is considered Iranian soccer’s “golden boy” after leading the national team to the World Cup by scoring six goals in six consecutive games, including the winning goal that led to Iran’s qualification. Captain Javad Nekounam, a 33-year-old veteran appearing at his second World Cup, is expected to be the team’s key playmaker.

Iran beat the U.S. 2–1 during the 1998 World Cup, eliminating its adversary from the tournament. The match was seen as one of the most politically charged in soccer history.

According to sports website SBNation.com, Iran is the fourth biggest long shot to win the World Cup. Odds in Group F, where Iran will face Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina, are stacked against the team as well.

Iran, which has played in four World Cups, scored only one point in 2006. Between its weak showing at the last tournament for which it qualified and the fact that international attention is usually focused on Iran's nuclear program, the team will likely come to Brazil with a chip on its shoulder that could improve its odds.

Iranian soccer has often been politicized by both the country's leaders and its football players. Perhaps the most noteworthy example was in 2009, when several players wore green wristbands during a game in protest of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election and ensuing crackdown on widespread demonstrations. The players were reportedly then “retired” from the team, although the government later denied those reports.