#2 Iran
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Becoming only the second team to confirm their place in Russia, the unlikely Iran did so with a recent 2-0 victory over Uzbekistan.
Having extended their lead over their third-placed group rivals to an insurmountable eight points, Iran sealed their route to the finals, thereby avoiding the potential heartbreak and exhaustive nature of a play-off later on down the road.
Clocking up 20 points, scoring eight and conceding none to date, the Iranian side have developed into a shrewd, clinical one that could nick points from bigger teams with their blend of defensive nous and attacking precision.
This will become their fifth-ever appearance at a World Cup finals.
Although it will take something special for them to progress past the group stage for the first time, having never done it before, they are among Asia’s best – currently placed 30th on FIFA’s World Ranking system – so they will fancy their chances.
