Team Melli to play Mexico in friendly, Taj says
The Iranian men’s national team will face Mexico in a friendly game in the near future, Mahdi Taj, the chairman of the Iranian Football Federation, said on Monday.
The exact date and the venue of the game, however, are yet to be confirmed by the two national governing bodies, Taj added.
The game will be part of the two teams’ preparation for next year’s FIFA World Cup, which Mexico will cohost alongside the United States and Canada from September 7, 2026.
The Iranian Federation has been struggling to arrange high-profile friendly fixtures for Team Melli since it secured a fourth successive World Cup qualification in June, thanks to a top-spot finish in Group A of the Asian qualifiers.
While Japan and South Korea, which will join Iran in representing Asia at the World Cup, played the United States and Mexico in September’s international break, Iran had to take part at the CAFA Nations Cup, featuring five Central Asian teams, as well as India, Oman, and Afghanistan.
Iran’s next friendly game will come away to Russia in Volgograd on October 10.
Meanwhile, Taj insisted that Amir Qalenoei would remain Iran’s head coach for the World Cup finals, despite recent speculation about his future following a subpar CAFA campaign.
Some mediocre performances saw Iran beat Afghanistan (3-1) and India (3-0) before giving away a two-goal lead to share the spoils with another minnow opponent in Tajikistan in a 2-2 draw in Group B of the competition to progress to the final.
Team Melli, reduced to 10 men just five minutes into the game, suffered a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the final showpiece in Tashkent – courtesy of a Khojiakbar Alijonov’s 120th-minute winner for the home side.
Asked if Iranian fans could expect a new manager on Iran’s bench in next September’s finals, Taj replied, “No. Qalenoei will definitely stay on as Iran coach for the World Cup, and even beyond, though there will likely be additions to his coaching staff.”