

Iran will host its match in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers on Thursday evening in Tehran, as the Iranian national team welcomes Turkmenistan at the Azadi Stadium. Here is the prediction for this match from the experts at Dailysports.
Iran
The Iranian national team performed exceptionally well in the 2024 Asian Cup. The "Persian Leopards" secured maximum points in the group stage by defeating Palestine, Hong Kong, and the UAE. In the first playoff match, Iran narrowly edged out Syria in a penalty shootout, while in the quarterfinals, they defeated Japan 2-1. Only the host team, Qatar, managed to halt the progress of the "Lions of Iran" in the semifinals with a 3-2 victory. In the World Cup 2026 qualification tournament, Iran collected 4 points in two matches by defeating Hong Kong (4-0) at home and drawing with Uzbekistan (2-2).
Turkmenistan
The Turkmenistan national team cannot boast the same level of success as their opponent. The "Emeralds" failed to qualify for the continental tournament in Qatar, finishing only third in a group with Bahrain, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. In the World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, Turkmenistan played two matches and managed to earn just one point. After drawing with Hong Kong away (2-2), Mergen Orazov's team also lost to the group favorite Uzbekistan (1-3) at home. Overall, Turkmenistan has been unable to secure a victory in their last 10 matches.
Interesting facts about the match and head-to-head history
- The teams last met in the World Cup 2018 qualification, where Iran claimed a victory at home with a score of 3-1, while the match in Turkmenistan ended in a 1-1 draw.
- In seven out of the last ten matches involving Iran, both teams have scored.
- The last time Iran lost a home match was in November 2022 against Tunisia. Since then, they have won five out of six games.
Iran vs Turkmenistan Prediction
Bookmakers have no doubts about the victory of the Iranian national team, offering odds as low as 1.04. We believe that the most optimal bet for this match would be "Iran to Win and Total Under 4.5" with odds of 1.69.