Four World Cups is a long time. Long enough to go from fresh-faced newcomer to grizzled veteran, long enough to watch entire generations of teammates come and go. Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Ehsan Hajsafi have now done what no Iranian footballer has ever managed: they’ve suited up for Team Melli across four separate FIFA World Cups.
The pair first appeared together on football’s biggest stage in 2014, returned in 2018 and 2022, and are now part of Iran’s 26-player squad for the 2026 tournament in North America. That kind of longevity in international football is rare anywhere. In Iranian football, it’s unprecedented.
A record built on durability
Jahanbakhsh, a winger born in 1993 and currently plying his trade at Belgian club Dender, has racked up over 99 international caps and 17 goals for Iran heading into this tournament. He’s served as co-captain of the squad, a leadership role that reflects how central he’s become to the national team’s identity over the past decade-plus.
Hajsafi, a defender with deep roots at Iranian club Sepahan, brings even more experience to the table. He’s approaching Iran’s all-time appearance record, a marker of just how consistently he’s been selected across multiple coaching regimes and tactical systems.
