Wales vs Iran Prediction with Betting Odds – 2022 World Cup: Who Will Win?

💯 Wales vs Iran Betting Odds

There are a number of popular football betting markets pertaining to Wales vs Iran, including the match winner, both sides to score and over/under wagers for total goals scored.

We’ve taken a closer look at these markets below while appraising the real-time Wales vs Iran odds from our recommended betting sites.

🏅 Wales vs Iran Odds: Match Winner

Wales to Win	2.12	2.05	2.00	2.10	2.00	2.05	2.10
Iran to Win	3.58	3.70	4.25	4.10	3.75	3.8	3.70
Draw	3.13	2.95	3.10	3.10	3.1	3.10	3.20

⚽ Wales vs Iran Odds: Both Teams to Score

Yes	2.08	2.01	2.12	2.00	2.00	2.05	2.05
No	1.76	1.48	1.62	1.70	1.75	1.70	1.70

🥅 Wales vs Iran Odds: Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Over 2.5 Goals	2.36	2.44	2.45	2.38	2.50	2.38	2.30
Under 2.5 Goals	1.57	1.48	1.48	1.53	1.55	1.53	1.57

🏠 Wales World Cup Preview

Wales arrived in Qatar in a relatively buoyant mood, after a period of relative success that has seen them qualify for both Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup.

This followed an incredible period of 58 years in which Wales failed to qualify for any major tournament, with their previous appearance coming in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden (when the Welsh team reached the quarter-finals).

The team also excelled at Euro 2016, stunning favourites Belgium in the quarters to reach the semi-finals. While they were ultimately eliminated by eventual winners Portugal, this helped to re-establish Wales as a true international force and has helped to propel them to 19th in the FIFA rankings.

Despite missing out on Russia 2018, Wales qualified for the WC finals for the first time in 64 years in Qatar and have already claimed a potentially crucial point in their quest for the round of 16 thanks to Gareth Bale’s late penalty against the USA.

🏆 Wales World Cup History

As we’ve already touched on, Wales’ last WC appearance came in Sweden in 1958, while this remains the only time that the Welsh have qualified for the finals since the tournament’s inception in 1930.

Inspired by the legendary John Charles in attack, Wales were extremely competitive in 1958 and drew all three of their group stage matches, before edging out an excellent Hungary side 2-1 in a play-off game to reach the quarter-finals.

Here, they were pitted against eventual winners Brazil in Gothenburg, once again putting up an excellent display before losing 1-0 to a superb Pele goal.

Wales will need to tap into this spirit of determination and competitiveness if they’re to succeed in Qatar, particularly given the quality of fellow Group B sides England and the USA and the threat that Iran pose despite their opening game mauling at the hands of the Three Lions.

✔️ Wales Qualification and Road to the World Cup 2022

Wales certainly had to fight hard to reach the World Cup finals in Qatar, finishing second in Group E before progressing through Play-Off Path A.

Impressively, they only lost one of their Group E matches (3-1 to Belgium in the opening round of qualifiers), before winning four of their remaining seven games to finish one point ahead of the Czech Republic in second.

Austria were then beaten 2-1 at home in a tense play-off semi-final before Wales edged out Ukraine 1-0 in front of a capacity crowd at the Cardiff City Stadium.

⭐ Wales Players to Watch

As you’d expect, most of the Welsh national squad ply their trade in Europe’s top five leagues. But who are the key players you should look out for against Iran and for the rest of the tournament? Here are three of the best!

• Gareth Bale: While leaving Real Madrid to join LA Galaxy may seem like a backwards career step, it will afford Wales’ talismanic Gareth Bale ample game time ahead of the World Cup. This is significant for the 33-year-old winger, who remains the Welsh side’s most potent goal threat and someone who can create significant space for others despite his advancing years. To date, Bale has struck a national record of 41 goals in 109 international appearances, the latest of which secured a crucial point against the USA and reaffirmed the forward’s status as a clutch player for his country.
• Brennan Johnson: This talented 21-year-old forward is now lighting up the Premier League with Nottingham Forest, having scored 19 goals in 51 Championship appearances during a breakthrough 2021/22 season. In some respects, he’s the heir apparent to Bale and a key player in the national side, despite only making his debut in 2020. His first goal for his country game during a 1-1 draw with Belgium in the UEFA Nations League, while he now has 13 international caps and two goals for Wales.
• Daniel James: While the 24-year-old speedster Dan James struggled to make his mark at Manchester United, he’s improved steadily under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa and now Jesse Marsch at Leeds before joining Fulham in the summer. Now boasting superior football intelligence and a better end product, he’ll be central to Wales’ counter-attacking game and will pose a huge threat in behind high defensive lines. Currently, James has five international goals in 36 appearances, and once again he’ll be looking to add to this tally in Qatar (although his starting place may be under threat from the powerful Kiefer Moore against Iran).

📰 Latest Wales World Cup News

✈️ Iran World Cup Preview

While Iran isn’t a country that’s synonymous with football, the side has improved steadily in recent times and is now ranked as the 22nd-best team in the world according to FIFA.

What’s more, Iran is ranked as the best team in the AFC qualifying region, ahead of more seasoned World Cup teams like Japan, South Korea and even Australia.

This is also Iran’s sixth World Cup appearance and third in succession, and they’ll still be dreaming of making history by progressing beyond the first round or group stage for the very first time.

The issue here is that Iran looked far from being a top-ranked national side in their 6-2 thrashing at the hands of England, and they’ll need to raise their game significantly if they’re to claim a much-needed win against a seasoned Wales side and its numerous match-winners.

🏆 Iran World Cup History

Iran didn’t become an official FIFA member until the 1950 World Cup, while various geopolitical issues and on-the-pitch failures meant that the country’s first finals appearance didn’t come until 1978.

Here, Iran ended winless and with a single point from their three group-stage games as they exited at the first hurdle. In fact, their first WC win didn’t come until their next final appearance in France in 1998, although a historic 2-1 victory over the US wasn’t enough to secure a second-round place.

Further group-stage exits followed in 2006 and 2014, while Iran failed to qualify at all for the finals in 2002 and 2010.

Arguably, the side’s best performance at the tournament came last time out in Russia, when Iran earned four points from their three group-stage games and were only eliminated by a single point. This run included a win against Morocco and a 1-1 draw with Portugal, offering hope that the nation may be ready to take its next big step on the international stage (notwithstanding their opening game debacle against England).

✔️ Iran Qualification and Road to the World Cup 2022

Iran reached Qatar with relative ease, as their top AFC ranking afforded them a bye to the second round of qualifying. Here, they topped AFC Group C by one point from neighbours Iraq, winning six of their eight games and scoring 34 goals in the process.

This haul included 14-0 and 10-0 thrashings of Cambodia, while narrow away defeats to Iraq (2-1) and Bahrain (1-0) couldn’t halt their progress to the third round.

Here, Iran topped Group A impressively ahead of South Korea, with eight wins and just a single defeat in 10 matches. As a result, they earned an automatic place in Qatar as one of Asia’s best sides.

⭐ Iran Players to Watch

Not all of Iran’s players are household names, with many playing in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. However, our team has highlighted some of the nation’s key performers to look out for in Qatar, many of whom underperformed against England.

• Ehsan Hajsafi: This experienced 32-year-old midfielder is Iran’s captain, with his haul of 119 caps (and seven goals) earmarking him as a player for others to look up to. He made his full international debut in 2008 against Zambia, where he gave a glimpse of what was to come with two glorious assists in a 3-2 victory. Despite his advancing years, Hajsafi’s influence hasn’t waned, with this borne out by his crucial WC qualifying goal in Iran’s 3-0 win over Syria in November 2021.
• Alireza Jahanbakhsh: One of the few Iran players to operate at a high level in Europe, Jahanbakhsh plies his trade for Feyenoord and remains a tricky winger with an outstanding eye for goal. To this end, the 29-year-old has 13 goals in 62 international appearances and 70 in 342 club games to date. Interestingly, the 2017/18 season saw the forward become the first ever Asian player to become a top scorer in a major European League when he scored 21 goals for AZ in the Eredivisie (he also laid on 12 assists).
• Sardar Azmoun: We close with the second-most expensive Iranian player of all-time, and one who has 40 international goals in just 63 matches. This haul includes 10 goals in World Cup qualifying, as Azmoun recorded a hat-trick in the 14-0 thrashing of Cambodia and a brace as Iran beat Bahrain 3-0. In his club career, Azmoun has scored an impressive 105 goals in 274 appearances, while the talented 27-year-old continues to play at an incredibly high level for Bundesliga side Bayern Leverkusen. He wasn’t fit to start against England and will be desperate to return to the side against Wales.

📰 Iran World Cup News

🥇 Wales vs Iran Prediction - Who Will Win?

This is a key match for both sides in Group B, with a win for Wales likely to put them on the precipice of a last-16 appearance and Iran needing all three points to keep their WC hopes alive.

Iran will certainly look to use the hot, humid and familiar conditions to their advantage, of course, while they retain enough quality and experience in their squad to trouble the Welsh side despite their failure to perform to their potential against England.

However, we’re tipping the Welsh to win by the odd goal here, with the star quality of Gareth Bale and other key players like Aaron Ramsey likely to be the difference in Al Rayyan.

Our Wales vs Iran match prediction: Wales to win.

🔍 Our Wales vs Iran Betting Tips?

Although Wales are favourites to beat Iran, the bookies are hedging their bets somewhat when it comes to pricing. So, wagering on the match winner is both risky and potentially unrewarding, while handicap betting is a no-go given the lack of a truly dominant favourite.

We like the idea of backing both sides to score, however, as you can get on this at 2.10 with William Hill and cash in on the fact that neither team has a rock-solid defence.

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✒️ Lewis Humphries - Sports Journalist, Tipster and Betting Expert

This Wales Vs Iran Prediction was written by Lewis Humphries. Lewis is a business and iGaming copywriter from the UK, who has a passion for sports betting and online casino gaming. He's reviewed some of the world's leading casino platforms, while creating blog posts and landing page content for various sports betting brands.

His content has also featured on a number of different sites, including Life Hack, Investopedia, Yahoo Finance and Business Insider. He also pens regular sports features for sites including 90 Minutes, Think Football Ideas and Sports blog.