There was no shortage of excitement and drama as the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 began in a whirlwind of action across the continent over the past couple of weeks.
Some of Asia’s biggest stars took center stage in the first two matches of the qualification campaign from which the nine group winners and nine runners-up will advance to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifying and seal a direct place in the AFC Asian Cup, the-afc.com reported.
Taremi was one of several players on the scoresheet in both of the second-round ties over the past two weeks. The 31-year-old supplied the assist for Sardar Azmoun’s second goal of the game before scoring one himself as Team Melli overcame Hong Kong 4-0 in its opening fixture.
The FC Porto man was also on target against Uzbekistan, but Amir Ghalenoei’s side had to settle for a draw despite taking a two-goal lead. However, Taremi will hope to make a similar impact when the qualifiers resume in March 2024 to take Iran one step closer to its fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance.