“I think our performance against Bahrain was our best yet. We are improving every day and hopefully, we’ll continue to get better at our game in the coming matches,” said Nazem. “We displayed great teamwork, which led to so many of us scoring.”

On Saturday, the three-time champions take on Saudi Arabia for a place in the final and a ticket to the global showpiece in May. According to Nazem, the squad will rely on the technical team to prepare them for the clash against the West Asians, who beat hosts Thailand to make it to the semi-finals for the first time.

“We have complete faith in our technical team, and we will judge how to approach Saudi Arabia based on their analysis, and our job right now is to make sure we’re fit to execute the game plan,” said Nazem, who scored twice on Thursday.

“Winning the next game will also ensure us of a berth at the World Cup, so I am pleased that we dominated the game in the quarter-finals because it will help us be mentally very strong.” 

As Bahrain’s journey at Thailand 2025 came to an end, striker Almodallal did not hesitate to acknowledge that Iran were the better side.

“Iran are not only one of the best teams in Asia, but also in the world. They boast exceptionally skillful players who exploited every opportunity throughout the match,” said the number five.

“On the bright side, this tournament was an excellent experience for us, especially for players like me who participated in a continental contest for the first time.

“We hope our campaign will serve as a springboard for more interest in beach soccer, enabling us to match the level of the best teams in Asia.”