Iran's World Cup squad will travel to Turkey on Monday for a training camp, friendlies, and to complete visa applications before heading to the United States, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said on Saturday.
Team Melli will be returning to Antalya, where they trained and played friendlies in March. They are taking a squad of 30 players, which must be trimmed to the World Cup maximum of 26. Perhaps the best known is 33-year-old former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi, now with Olympiacos.
"Selecting 30 players for this final training camp ahead of the World Cup was the most difficult technical decision of my coaching career," Ghalenoei told the Iranian football federation website, adding that he had selected players solely on "technical criteria."
Iran hope to play two friendlies in Antalya, including one against Gambia on May 29. Players are expected to undergo fingerprinting in Turkey as part of the visa process, but wish to avoid a trip of more than 280 miles from Antalya to Ankara.
Mehdi Taj, the Iranian football federation head, is expected to hold talks with FIFA president Gianni Infantino as Tehran seeks assurances for its squad amid increased tensions.
When the squad reaches the U.S., Iran will set up their base camp in Tucson, Arizona. They are due to kick off their World Cup campaign against New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on June 15, before facing Belgium at the same venue, and then Egypt at Lumen Field in Seattle.
President Trump has sent mixed messages on Iranian participation. In a White House meeting in mid-March, Trump told FIFA representatives Iran was welcome, but later wrote on Truth Social that while the team was "welcome," he didn't "believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety."
Infantino has repeatedly stated Iran will participate, confirming at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver in April that Iran will play in the United States. Taj said Iran will participate but under certain conditions, stating, "We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is FIFA, not Mr. Trump or America."