Iran come into their third World Cup finals with a young squad who work hard for each other and an attack-minded attitude. They have a strong history in their own continent being three-times Asian Champions and the current team is looked on as one of the best to come out of Iran.
Qualification had its hiccups with their opening match being a 1-0 defeat to Jordan. But with the help of Vahid Hashemian, persuaded to play again by coach Ivankovic after a long absence, they put a good run of wins together, eventually finishing second in their group.
It's hard to see Iran escaping Group D at the finals but the World Cup does strange things to teams and if they can work hard together then anything is possible. [Latest Iran Squad News]