Footbal chief details team’s preparations ahead of 2026 World Cup
Mehdi Taj, President of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, has provided an update on the national football team’s friendly matches ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We have scheduled two friendly matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica at the request of the head coach. One of these matches will be against an African team geographically close to Egypt. Although arranging these games has become very challenging recently, we will hold both matches in March in Jordan. We have also reached an agreement with the Jordanian Football Federation to invite the Jordan national team to Iran for a friendly match in the future,” Taj said.
He added, “Two additional competitive matches are being prepared for June. The federation fully supports these plans, and we will not miss any FIFA international window,” Fars News Agency reported.
Regarding the status of US visas for World Cup participants, Taj explained, “The visa process is ongoing. One group traveled to Dubai on Monday, and another is set to depart on Thursday. Based on the head coach’s recommendations, we may add a few more players, but ultimately, we will take only the selected players eligible to travel to the World Cup. Some Sepahan players will also travel to Dubai under suitable conditions.”
Taj noted that a productive meeting was held with officials from IRIB, the Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, and other authorities. “In this session, we discussed media-related issues concerning the World Cup and made very good decisions that will help provide better and more professional coverage of the matches,” he said.
On the departure of Antonio Manicone, the assistant to Iran head coach Amir Qalenoei, Taj emphasized, “He submitted a letter to Nabi, the national team manager, who then referred it to us. Our position was not in favor of this separation. Given the current circumstances, the issues raised were unacceptable from our perspective, and we expect him to return to his duties. His return is possible.”
Regarding Hossein Abdi, head coach of Iran’s U17 national football team, who reportedly resigned due to an unsigned contract, Taj said, “I am not sure exactly what Abdi stated, but he came to meet me three days ago. My evaluation of him is very positive, and I believe he will return and continue his work in the best possible way.”
Taj also addressed the under-23 and youth teams, noting, “We are working on new plans for the continuation of these teams. God willing, final decisions will be announced soon, along with the new structure for the under-23 and youth national teams.”