Iran ‘in advanced talks’ with Portugal over pre-World Cup friendly
Iran is “in advanced talks” with Portugal over a friendly match in June, Mahdi Taj, chairman of the Iranian Football Federation, has confirmed.
The game would be part of both teams’ preparations for next summer’s World Cup finals, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11.
The draw for the group stage of the global showpiece took place in Washington, D.C., on Friday, where Team Melli was placed in Group G alongside Belgium, Egypt, and New Zealand.
“Since the draw was held, we have been working on setting up friendlies for the international breaks in March and June,” Taj told Iranian state television on Monday night, adding, “We are already in advanced talks with Portugal, and a deal could be agreed within the next few days.”
If finalized, the match would mark the third meeting between Iran and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the past two decades.
The Portuguese superstar scored in his team’s 2-0 victory over Iran at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, before the sides played out a 1-1 draw at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
Iranian fans have been eager to see their team tested against a top-tier opponent since the country secured its fourth consecutive World Cup qualification last June.
Iran took part in the CAFA Nations Cup – featuring Central Asian teams – in August, before facing Russia and Tanzania in October, and then played Cape Verde and familiar foe Uzbekistan in November.
“We will likely play Portugal on June 6. We have also approached Scotland, which resembles New Zealand’s playing style, and Iceland in recent days, though we are far from an agreement with them,” Taj said.
“We will also aim to arrange a friendly with Spain when it visits Qatar to play Egypt in March.”
Iran was represented at Friday’s draw by head coach Amir Qalenoei; Mohammad-Mahdi Nabi, the federation’s vice president; and Omid Jamali, its head of international relations. The delegation’s attendance marked a reversal of the initial decision to boycott the ceremony after the United States refused to issue visas for several Iranian officials, including Taj.
The FFIRI president said the country will have to adopt contingency plans given that its geopolitical foe may deny entry to members of Iran’s squad ahead of June’s tournament.
“We will be ready for different scenarios, as individuals who have completed military service in an organization not approved by the US might face the same issues. We need to have backups for any player who is not granted an entry visa.
“We have filed a complaint with FIFA, and I personally spoke with [FIFA secretary-general] Mattias Grafström in Qatar regarding the matter. FIFA could have taken a firmer stance against the United States, and we expect it to do so if this happens again,” Taj said.
Iran will kick off its World Cup campaign against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 15, before facing European heavyweight Belgium at the same venue six days later.
The team will then travel to Seattle, Washington, to face Egypt in its final group-stage match at Lumen Field on June 26.
With eight third-placed teams across the 12 groups advancing to the round of 32, Iran will fancy its chances of securing a first-ever knockout-stage berth at the seventh attempt.