TEHRAN – Iran football team became the 14th team to book their place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Iran edged past Iraq 1-0 on Thursday in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, thanks to Mehdi Taremi’s second-half goal.

Iran top Group A with 19 points, two points ahead of South Korea.

The ‘Persian Leopards’ have become the first Asian team to book their place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Iran are also the 14th team to seal their berth in the prestigious campaign.

Including Qatar as host nation, a total of 14 teams have qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup so far and the remaining 18 spots are going to fill up over the coming months.

The qualified teams are: Qatar, Iran, Germany, Denmark, Brazil, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands and Argentina.

Reporting by Masoud Hossein