BY MANUEL MARSELIAN

As the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup approaches and nations begin unveiling their official 26 man rosters, Armenians and football enthusiasts alike are reflecting on the history of the world’s most celebrated tournament and the role Armenians have played  and will continue to play on football’s grandest stage.

Although the Republic of Armenia has yet to qualify for a FIFA World Cup, Armenians across the globe have made meaningful contributions to the success and legacy of numerous national teams throughout football history. From the homeland to communities across the diaspora, Armenian players have brought their talent, determination, and passion to the international stage, becoming a source of pride for Armenians everywhere, regardless of the country they represented.

As anticipation builds for the 2026 tournament, this is a fitting moment to recognize their achievements, honor their legacy, and continue believing in the day when Armenia itself will take its place among the world’s football elite.

Nikita Simonyan (1958)
Born on October 12, 1926, in Armavir, Russia, Nikita Simonyan became one of the most revered and influential figures in Soviet football history. While his domestic career as a record-breaking striker for Spartak Moscow was legendary, his defining moment on the global stage came in the summer of 1958, when he helped lead the Soviet Union in its first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance.

At the tournament in Sweden, Simonyan captained a talented Soviet squad featuring legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin through one of the competition’s toughest groups, facing England, Austria, and eventual champions Brazil. He scored the Soviet Union’s first-ever World Cup goal in a dramatic 2–2 draw against England and played a key role in guiding the team into the quarter-finals after a playoff victory over the English side. Although the USSR’s historic run ended against host nation Sweden, Simonyan’s leadership and performances established the Soviet Union as a major force in international football.

Eduard Markarov (1966)
Eduard Markarov is widely remembered as one of the most technically gifted forwards to emerge from Soviet football during the 1960s and 1970s. A creative and intelligent attacker, he was included in the Soviet Union squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, where the team achieved its greatest-ever World Cup result by reaching the semi-finals and ultimately finishing fourth. 

The 1966 World Cup Campaign
At a time when international football was often dominated by physical defending and rigid tactical systems, Markarov distinguished himself through his sharp movement, close control, and natural attacking flair. Although his appearances for the Soviet national team were limited, his inclusion in the 1966 squad reflected the high regard in which he was held within Soviet football circles. 

The Soviet Union’s remarkable run to the semi-finals remains one of the defining achievements in the nation’s football history.

Andranik Eskandarian (1978)
Andranik Eskandarian is regarded as one of the greatest defenders in Iranian football history and a defining figure of Team Melli’s golden era of the 1970s. Nicknamed “Barbed Wire” for his fierce tackling and uncompromising style, he became known for his leadership, discipline, and commanding presence in defense.

The 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina
Eskandarian played a pivotal role in Iran’s historic qualification for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina — the nation’s first-ever appearance on football’s biggest stage. As one of Team Melli’s veteran leaders, he started against both the Netherlands and Scotland.

His performance in Iran’s iconic 1–1 draw against Scotland remains one of the defining moments of his career. Tasked with containing legendary striker Kenny Dalglish, Eskandarian delivered a fearless and disciplined display against one of the tournament’s strongest attacks. Although an unfortunate deflection resulted in an early own goal, his commanding overall performance became legendary as Iran rallied to secure one of the most celebrated results in the history of Iranian sport.

Due to yellow-card accumulation, Eskandarian missed Iran’s final group-stage match against Peru.

Khoren Oganesian (1982)
Khoren Oganesian, born in Yerevan on January 10, 1955, is widely regarded as the greatest Armenian footballer of the 20th century. A legendary midfielder for FC Ararat Yerevan and the Soviet Union national team, he earned international admiration for his exceptional vision, technical mastery, creativity, and remarkable scoring ability from midfield, becoming an enduring symbol of Armenian sporting excellence.

International Legacy & the 1982 FIFA World CupOganesian’s brilliance secured him a prominent place in the Soviet Union national team, with one of his early international achievements being a bronze medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Yet his defining moment arrived two years later on football’s grandest stage. At the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, Oganesian became the first player representing an Armenian club to both appear in and score at a World Cup tournament. His most iconic moment came on July 1, 1982, during a crucial second-round group match against a formidable Belgian side at Camp Nou in Barcelona.

After a deflected cross dropped near the edge of the penalty area, Oganesian unleashed a perfectly timed volley that flew past legendary Belgian goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff. The stunning strike secured a memorable 1–0 victory for the Soviet Union and cemented Oganesian’s place in World Cup history.

Youri Djorkaeff (1998)
Nicknamed “The Snake” for his uncanny ability to glide through tight defensive lines and strike with ruthless precision, Youri Djorkaeff remains one of the most technically gifted and versatile attacking players in the history of French football.

Born on March 9, 1968, in Lyon, Djorkaeff comes from a proud Armenian heritage through his father. Renowned for his elegant technique, tactical intelligence, and versatility, he excelled as a second striker, attacking midfielder, and creative playmaker. His vision, movement, and composure, combined with a relentless work ethic, made him one of the most effective and intelligent attackers of his generation.

He reached the pinnacle of his career during France’s triumphant 1998 FIFA World Cup campaign. Under immense pressure as tournament hosts, France relied heavily on Djorkaeff’s creativity and adaptability alongside Zinedine Zidane. He played a pivotal role throughout the tournament, scoring against Denmark in the group stage and serving as one of the team’s primary creative forces during the knockout rounds.

In the final against Brazil, Djorkaeff delivered the perfectly weighted corner that Zidane headed home for France’s second.

Alain Boghossian (1998) 
Boghossian is best remembered as an important member of the legendary French national team that captured the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil. He notably appeared as a second-half substitute in France’s iconic 3–0 victory over Brazil in the final.

Boghossian’s 1998 World Cup campaign exemplified the value of a consummate squad player executing his role with precision, discipline, and selflessness. While stars such as Zinedine Zidane dominated the headlines, manager Aimé Jacquet relied heavily on Boghossian’s tactical intelligence, relentless work rate, and composure to help control matches and maintain balance in the French midfield.

Wearing the number 14 jersey, Boghossian featured in five of France’s seven matches during their historic run to the title. Alongside the more attack-minded Youri Djorkaeff, he provided crucial defensive stability and tactical structure in midfield. His contribution proved especially valuable in the World Cup final, when he entered the match in the 57th minute to help France contain Brazil’s midfield and protect their lead. After Marcel Desailly’s late red card reduced Les Bleus to 10 men,  Boghossian’s composure, energy, and defensive discipline played a key role in preserving the clean sheet and securing France’s first-ever World Cup triumph.

Andranik Teymourian (2006, 2014 & 2026 – Coaching Staff)
Andranik Teymourian (born March 6, 1983) is an Iranian football coach and former professional midfielder who currently serves as an assistant coach for Team Melli, the Iran national football team.

2006 FIFA World Cup – Germany
Teymourian emerged as one of Iran’s brightest talents during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, starting all three group-stage matches against Mexico, Portugal, and Angola. His tireless work rate, tactical discipline, and composure on football’s biggest stage marked his international breakthrough. His performances quickly attracted the attention of European clubs and earned him a move to the English Premier League with Bolton Wanderers later that summer.

2014 FIFA World Cup – Brazil
Eight years later, Teymourian returned to the World Cup as one of Iran’s most experienced leaders under head coach Carlos Queiroz. He played every minute of Iran’s campaign and was instrumental in the team’s disciplined defensive performances, including the memorable match against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, which Iran nearly held scoreless until a late winner. Teymourian also provided the assist for Iran’s only goal of the tournament in the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Markar Aghajanian (2014, 2018 & 2022 – Coaching Staff)
Markar Aghajanian is an Iranian-Armenian football coach and former player best known for his long service as assistant coach of Iran’s national team under Carlos Queiroz. He played an important role in three FIFA World Cup campaigns — 2014 in Brazil, 2018 in Russia, and 2022 in Qatar — helping shape one of the most tactically disciplined periods in Team Melli’s modern history.

Although Aghajanian narrowly missed reaching a World Cup as a player during Iran’s 1994 qualification campaign, his greatest impact came from the sidelines. As Queiroz’s trusted assistant, he served as a key link between the international coaching staff and Iran’s domestic players, earning respect for his tactical analysis, defensive organization, and opponent scouting.

Aghajanian was especially influential during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Iran delivered some of its strongest modern performances, including highly competitive matches against Spain and Portugal. Over nearly a decade with the national team setup, he became widely regarded as one of the most influential assistant coaches in Iranian football history.

Maximilian Michael Arfsten (2026)
Maximilian Michael Arfsten (born April 19, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays for the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT). Widely regarded as one of the fastest-rising American players of his generation, Arfsten has built a reputation as a dynamic modern wing-back known for his pace, relentless work rate, crossing ability, and tactical versatility.

Born in Fresno, California, Arfsten has strong ties to the Central Valley’s Armenian-American community and is the great-grandson of Samuel “Sam” Siroonian.

Pochettino frequently praised Arfsten’s versatility and ability to play multiple roles along the left side, allowing the United States to shift between different formations without changing personnel. His relentless engine, defensive recovery ability, and elite crossing service filled a major need within the national team player pool.

As of May 2026, Arfsten has earned 18 caps for the United States and is officially included on the U.S. roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Arfsten is expected to play a major role for the Americans and is viewed as one of the nation’s most important emerging players heading into the competition.

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Davit Ishkanyan

Artsakh’s former Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, who is a serving life sentence in a Baku prison, issued a new message that circulated on Wednesday through his family.

Ishkhanyan is one the former Artsakh leaders who was on trial in Azerbaijan on sham charges and was given a life sentence at the conclusion of the bogus court proceedings.

“We will continue following the path we have chosen together,” Ishkhanyan vowed in this powerful statement.

Below is an English translation of his remarks.

Hello Everyone.

Yesterday, a preliminary hearing took place at the Baku Court of Appeals regarding our appeal of the February 5 verdict issued by the Baku Military Court. We appealed that ruling, and yesterday the process officially began, with the first hearing scheduled for June 2. You know — peace and trial… it is all very peculiar, especially considering that the verdict itself, after repeated delays and artificial obstacles, was only delivered to us on April 21.

And it should not surprise anyone when I say that to this day neither the defense side nor even the prosecution has received the full text of the verdict. They have only received excerpts.

Yesterday, I personally petitioned the court to provide both the defense attorneys and all defendants with the complete version of the verdict, as well as the full indictment. Surprisingly — though perhaps understandably — the court rejected my request.

From December 17, 2024 until now, throughout this entire two-year-long judicial process, the indictment has not been fully provided to the defense side.

At some point I will have the opportunity to speak in greater detail about the trial and the broader process surrounding it. For now, I will limit myself to saying this: anyone who reads the 15 sections of the indictment will fully understand what is happening here. The so-called ‘fair, open, and transparent trial’ is fiction. This is a fully controlled, censored retaliatory trial. Even the public presentation of it is manipulated through propaganda aimed both at Azerbaijani society and the international community.

Yesterday, I also submitted two additional motions. First, I requested that the hearings be broadcast online to ensure an open trial. I had proposed the same thing during the first-instance court proceedings, but it was rejected there as well. Yesterday it was rejected again.

My second request was that representatives of AzTV be barred from attending the hearings due to their misinformation and manipulative reporting. That request was also denied.

One of the defense attorneys here, unable to contain himself, openly stated during the hearing: ‘We will be ashamed before future generations for organizing such a trial.’ That alone is the proper assessment of this process.

Overall, I would describe this entire ordeal as a tragicomedy. Franz Kafka himself would have dreamed of attending such a trial — it would have inspired him to write either a new work or a second part to The Trial.

Another issue I want to address concerns my verbal appeal to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia. On May 6, I orally requested that the Human Rights Defender somehow obtain and transfer to my family the complete Armenian and Azerbaijani versions of our verdict.

I made the same request to the Azerbaijani Ombudsman, who met with us on May 5 and to whom I finally managed to hand over a letter I had written back on March 12. He promised he would try to ensure that the Azerbaijani-language version would reach my relatives. But so far there has been no response from either side.

Regarding the trial itself, I must say clearly: this is a delaying process coordinated with political developments.

There is something I believe the public should understand. Back in January and February of 2024, when we were already here, certain officials interacting with us hinted indirectly that we would remain here as long as Armenia’s authorities wanted us to remain here.
At first we could hardly believe such statements. How could our own authorities not want us to return home? But from today’s perspective, unfortunately, everything has become clear.

The developments surrounding this trial are being adjusted to political developments, including those taking place in Armenia itself. Recent developments have only reinforced this conviction.

I do not want to descend to the level of accusations and rhetoric currently being directed at Artsakh Armenians, but at some point the truth will become obvious to everyone — who bears responsibility and whose actions led to all of this.

In any case, we have now been here for nearly three years. During all this time, neither our principles, nor our reason, nor our spirit, nor our willpower have abandoned us. And they will not abandon us going forward.

Painful as this reality is, we will continue following the path we have collectively chosen.

I also want to use this opportunity to thank all the individuals, organizations, and institutions that have worked, issued statements, and adopted resolutions demanding our immediate release. All of these organizations and individuals understand that we are innocent and should return immediately to our families.

Finally, I want to congratulate our people on May 28 — the day marking the restoration of Armenian statehood — and wish our people strength of spirit, strength of will, and unity.

Stay strong. For now.

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