Following the departure of Andranik Teimurian and Aliasgar Gorbanalipur from the coaching staff of the Iranian national team, head coach Amir Ghalenoei has strengthened his squad by adding Mehrdad Khanban and Pepe Losada.
The Iranian Football Federation began negotiations with several candidates identified by Ghalenoei and ultimately confirmed the appointments of Khanban and Losada in preparation for the national team's next campaign stage.
Khanban, 44 years old, is a familiar figure in Iranian football and possesses extensive experience working with the national team. He began his professional coaching career at Persepolis FC and later worked under Carlos Queiroz in Iran. His first stint with the national team lasted until 2018, when he left the coaching staff before the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
After Dragan Skočić was appointed as the head coach of Iran, Khanban returned to the national team. He then spent several years at Persepolis, collaborating with coaches such as Gabriel Calderón, Yahya Golmohammadi, and Osmar.
Khanban was part of the Persepolis staff during their championship season before moving to Tractor Sazi. Last season, he worked in the coaching staff under Dragan Skočić and Mohammad Rabiei. He also temporarily led Tractor Sazi during an AFC Champions League match against Al-Gharafa. Now, Khanban will return to the national team, but in a different role, becoming one of Ghalenoei's assistants.
Meanwhile, Spanish fitness coach Pepe Losada has been appointed as the new conditioning coach for the national team. The 50-year-old specialist has rich experience in physical preparation and previously worked in Iranian football with clubs such as Persepolis, Nasaji Mazandaran, and Gol Gohar. Losada had one of the most successful periods of his career at Persepolis. In the 2022/23 season, he was part of the team that won the Iranian Pro League title, the Hazfi Cup, and the Iranian Super Cup. In the following season, he remained with the club when Persepolis won the championship and Super Cup again.
According to the Spanish club Balompiéca Linense, Losada has over twenty years of experience in physical preparation. Earlier in his career, he also spent about 12 years working within the structure of Cádiz in Spain.
With the addition of Khanban and Losada to Ghalenoei's staff, Iran has reorganized its coaching collective, continuing preparations for the next stage of the national team's campaign and for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.