Iran vs Gambia prediction 29.05.2026 | Friendly

The 2026 World Cup will be Iran's fourth consecutive appearance at the biggest tournament. However, they never progressed to the knockout phase, and that will be the primary goal for Ghalenoei's team next month. Iran have a solid opportunity this year, as the group with Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt is hardly among the strongest in the competition. 

Iran struggled in recent matches. Since qualifying last year, Ghalenoei's team has only a 2-2-2 record in six friendlies (if we count only regular 90 minutes). Their best game in the span was the most recent one, when Iran beat Costa Rica 5-0. In that match, Iran showed tremendous efficiency, something they often have problems with.

Most Iranian players are in the Asian clubs. Surely the biggest name in the squad is striker Mehdi Taremi, who is currently at Olympiacos. The player who had his most fruitful years in Porto came to the Greek league this winter and impressed with 10 goals and 4 assists in 19 matches. The other notable Iranian players are Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Tractor FC), Mehdi Ghayedi (Al Nasr Dubai), and Hossein Kanaani (Persepolis). 

The big question in recent months was whether Iran would play in the USA due to the conflict that has lasted since February. The Asian team initially planned to stay in Tucson, but due to the war, they ended up in Tijuana. All problems around the Iranian team could be an unwanted distraction, and we should be aware of that. 

Although Gambia are improving, they are far from a good football team. They never played at the World Cup, but two appearances in the last three African Cup of Nations are progress. In the previous qualifications for the biggest tournament in the World, Gambia finished 13 points short of the desired position. 

Gambia struggled recently. They won only once in the last four matches. In the previous game, Gambia lost 3-1 on the road against Senegal. That was another tie in which Gambia's biggest problem, their defense, was on display. 

Gambia's biggest star is surely 21-year-old Yankuba Minteh, who appeared in 34 Premier League games for Brighton in the previous season and scored three goals. The other players worth mentioning are Abubacarr Sadi Kinteh (Tromso), Musa Barrow (Al Taawoun), and Abubakr Barry (Austria Vienna).