TEHRAN – Hossein Abdi is a leading candidate to become the head coach of Iran's U23 football team.

Abdi has a strong track record with Iran's youth teams, having previously coached both the U17 and U20 squads.

The U23 team are currently without a coach following the departure of Reza Enayati.

Most recently, Abdi led Iran in the 2025 AFC U20 Asian Cup, where they were eliminated by Japan on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Abdi, a former captain of Persepolis football club, has not commented on the speculation.