Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
After sharing the spoils with USA in their opener, Wales will be looking to record their first win at the 2022 World Cup finals when they take on Iran on Friday. The Dragons continue to rely on Los Angeles FC star Gareth Bale, who scored the equalizer against the Yanks, but keep in mind that he is one yellow card away from suspension. There are no fresh injury worries in Robert Page’s team, but Kieffer Moore could sneak into the starting XI.
The Iranians, on the other hand, experienced all sorts of problems at the back in a 6-2 loss to England. A man to watch in the away team will be Porto attacker Mehdi Taremi, who scored a brace in Monday’s clash, but he is unlikely to help Carlos Queiroz’s troops avoid defeat in their second group game. Iran first-choice goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand suffered an injury against England, with Hossein Hosseini likely to step up.
Highlighted Player (Gareth Bale):
Gareth Bale is a Welsh footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a winger. “Bailo” was born in Cardiff on 16 July, 1989 and, as expected, he played for his home-town club Cardiff Civil Service at the start of his youth career. He moved to Southampton’s football academy in 1999 and he made a great progress during his spell with the Saints.
Bale made 40 league appearances for the first team and it has to be noted that he played as a full back at the start of his senior career. In 2007 he signed a contract with Tottenham Hotspur and he was producing thrilling performances with the White Hart Lane outfit from 2007 to 2013. Real Madrid chiefs did well to sign him on 1 September, 2013 for a fee of €91 million.
The Welsh winger won two Champions League trophies with los Blancos (2013/2014, 2015/2016) and, speaking of his international career, he made it to the European Championship finals with Wales. The Welsh ace scored three goals at the showpiece tournament in France as the Dragons reached the semi-final.
Highlighted Team (Iran):
Iranian Football Federation was founded back in 1920. The Team Melli played their first match not before August, 1941, when they faced British India in Kabul. The Iranians emerged triumphant in the game (1-0) and two days later they played their first FIFA international match against Afghanistan. In 1968 the Iranians won their first trophy, with the team lifting the Asian Cup title.
The Iranians repeated the success four years later and, to make things even better, they won the 1976 Asian Cup trophy as well. Speaking of their participation at the FIFA World Cup finals, Iran booked their place at the showpiece tournament for the first time in 1978. The Team Melli then missed the next four major tournaments before qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals in France.
The Iranians participated at the 2006 and the 2014 tournaments as well and they did well to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia. Iran footballers wear white shirts and white shorts when playing at home, while the colour of their away kits is red.