Iranian football legend Mehdi Taremi is once again set to showcase his magic on the football field, as he is ready for his third FIFA World Cup experience. This time, he is bringing a huge experience, as Team Melli is dreaming of creating history in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Key Facts: Who is Mehdi Taremi?
Full Name: Mehdi Taremi
Age: 33 years old (Born: 18 July 1992)
Current Club: Olympiacos (Super League Greece)
Playing Position: Striker/Centre-Forward
Preferred Foot: Right
Playing Style and Tactical Abilities
Mehdi Taremi is a versatile footballer whose talent becomes more dangerous after utilising it with his sharp mind and experience.
Elite Link-Up Play: Mehdi is not only a strong finisher, but he is also popular for his versatile roles on the field, as he can drop himself deep into the half-spaces. He has the special ability to drag centre-backs out of position and deliver effective through balls.
Intelligent Space Creation: Mehdi’s space creation technique is very intelligent, as he is a master at finding the blind spots in the box.
Aerial and Physical Dominance: Due to a strong physical attitude and timing perfection, Mehdi creates regular threats on set pieces.
International and Club Statistics
Starting from the native club, Mehdi Taremi has slowly become a known face in European club football, serving for popular Portuguese first division FC Porto, Italian Serie A Inter Milan, and Olympiacos from the Greek Super League.
International Career: 104 caps / 60 goals for the Iran National Team. He is the second-leading goalscorer for his nation.
Domestic Momentum (2025/2026 Season): Serving for Olympiacos in the Greek Super League, Mehdi scored 10 goals in 24 games.
UEFA Champions League Pedigree: Serving for FC Porto, Inter Milan, and Olympiacos, Mehdi has great exposure to major European football, including the UEFA Champions League, where he also experienced runners-up in the 2024/25 edition playing for Inter Milan.
Major Achievements and Trophies
(Club)
Primeira Liga: Champions with FC Porto in 2021/22
UEFA Champions League: Runners-up with Inter Milan in 2024/25
(National Team)
CAFA Nations Cup: 2023
Jordan International Tournament: 2023
(Individual)
Iranian Footballer of the Year: 2016, 2017
Bola de Prata (Portuguese Primeira Liga top scorer): 2019/20, 2022/23
CAFA Nations Cup top scorer: 2023
CAFA Nations Cup Best Player: 2023
Performances in Qualifying Stages for FIFA World Cup 2026
In the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers (AFC), Mehdi Taremi finished as the joint second most goal-scorer with 10 goals in 15 games over the two rounds of the qualification process.
Appearances: 15
Goals Scored: 10
Here’s the Iran Qualification Journey for 2026 FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup Experience
Mehdi Taremi featured in the FIFA World Cups of 2018 and 2022, scoring two goals in six games over the competition's history. In their first group stage match in the 2022 edition against England, Mehdi scored two goals in their 6-2 defeat.
Appearances: 6
Goals Scored: 2
The Untold Story: From Late Bloomer to National and UCL Star
Despite coming from a football family, as his father and older brother played the sport, it took more than 20 years before Mehdi Taremi’s talent was effectively recognised on the field. Slowly but steadily, he got the break, as Mehdi successfully managed to serve the popular European clubs like FC Porto, Inter Milan, and Olympiacos.
After making his senior international debut in 2015, Mehdi has played a huge role in Iranian football. His presence has played an important role in his nation to become a better challenging team on the field. While Iran played Semi-finals in the last two AFC Asian Cups (2019 and 2023), Mehdi had a huge impact in both those editions, scoring three goals in each edition.
In the meantime, Mehdi became a UEFA Champions League star by scoring a goal for Porto in just 63 seconds against Juventus in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the 2020/21 edition. Later, his bicycle kick against Chelsea in the second leg of the Quarterfinals in the same season was voted fans' Goal of the Tournament as well as "UEFA.com Goal of the Season."
