Iran's national football team is continuing its World Cup preparations in Türkiye with training and friendly matches, despite visa uncertainty and tensions between Iran and the United States.
The team secured a morale-boosting victory over the Gambian team in a friendly match in Antalya on Friday, while awaiting clarity on travel arrangements for the tournament.
As preparations for the World Cup intensify, Iran's national football team still faces uncertainty over travel visas. Following FIFA's recommendation, the team's pre-tournament training camp was recently relocated from the U.S. state of Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico.
Iranian football officials said the political situation has created challenges, but the players remain focused on their preparations for the tournament itself.
"Our players are professionals, and it is their duty to think about training and such matters. We will not allow our players to be distracted by these concerns and noise in any way, and their focus should only be on the football," said Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, first vice president of the Iran Football Federation.
Türkiye, which shares a border with Iran, has made special preparations for the team's security, as officials work to ensure the players can focus on football amid the conflict raging at home.
"Whether it's our provincial police department here, or the private security companies involved, very high security measures have been put in place both at the match and at the hotel where they are staying. Beyond that, because this is a sensitive issue, everyone is being careful. We are also trying to protect their psychological well-being. They are going through difficult times," said Dogukan Onkur, owner of Fanatic Tour, a football training agency in Antalya.
On the pitch, however, the focus remains firmly on football. Iran came from behind to defeat the Gambia 3-1 on Friday. Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian sports executive involved in organizing the match, said the game was valuable preparation for both teams.
"Iran came here two weeks ago and they trained over here, and so they are actually getting used to the weather, atmosphere, and everything. So it was a great game for them as well. So we might be going to have another game in the next week. So that's going to be before traveling to Mexico for the base camp," he said.
Iran's national football team prepares for World Cup in Türkiye
