TEHRAN – Newly-appointed coach Hamid Estili has invited 35 players to Iran U23 football team on Monday.

Iran are preparing for the 2020 AFC U23 Championship, where the team have been drawn in Group C along with titleholders Uzbekistan, China and South Korea.

The 2020 AFC U23 Championship will be held in Thailand from Jan. 8 to 26 and the top three teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Japan as the AFC representatives.

Iran have not been in the Olympics since the 1976 games in Munich.

On Sunday, Estili replaced Farhad Majidi as new head coach of Iran U23 football team.

Estili, who is mostly remembered for his memorable goal and goal celebration against the U.S. at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, has already worked as head coach in Iranian football teams namely, Persepolis, Steel Azin, Shahin Bushehr and Malavan.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Mehdi Nourollahi (Saipa), Habib Farabbasi (Naft Masjed Soleyman), Meraj Esmaeili (Zob Ahan), Ali Keykhosravi (Sepahan)

Defenders: Mohammad Moslemipour (Machine Sazi), Taha Shariati (Saipa), Aref Gholami (Esteghlal), Sina Khadempour (Esteghlal), Ali Shojaei (Nassaji), Aref Aghasi (Foolad), Abolfazl Razaghpour (Paykan), Saadat Hardani (Foolad), Mohammad Aghajanpour (Shahr Khodro), Ramin Davoudi (Esteghlal Khuzestan), Omid Dorreh (Saipa), Abolfazl Jalali (Saipa)

Midfielders: Omid Noorafkan (Sepahan), Mohammad Khorramalhosseini (Machine Sazi), Reza Shekari (Tractor), Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Saipa), Mohammad Khodabandehloo (Paykan), Reza Jabireh (Sanat Naft), Sina Zamehran (Shahr Khodro), Mohammad Sharifi (Saipa), Esmaeil Babaei (Fajr Sepasi)

Strikers: Amirhossein Bagherpour (Foolad), Mehdi Abdi (Persepolis), Mehdi Ghaedi (Esteghlal), Amir Roostaei (Persepolis), Sajad Aghaei (Esteghlal), Rahman Jafari (Nassaji), Younes Delfi (Charleroi), Mohammad Reza Azadi (Tractor), Jafar Salmani (Sanat Naft), Vahid Namdari (Foolad)