The Iranian national men's football team arrived in Turkey on Monday to begin their training camp and to handle visa procedures for traveling to the United States to compete in the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup.
The delegation, consisting of 22 players and the coaching staff, arrived at the holiday resort city of Antalya, Turkey, all dressed in dark blue sportswear at the airport.
The players will stay in Turkey for several weeks, after which they will head to the World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
On February 28 of this year, the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, triggering war. Although both sides reached a temporary ceasefire agreement starting April 8, there remain global concerns about renewed conflict.
The Iranian team is scheduled to set up their World Cup base in Arizona, USA, as originally planned and will play all three group matches within the United States.
Since Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, Iranian head coach Ghalenoei said last Saturday that the whole team will be applying for US visas in Turkey.
Last week, Iranian officials held a grand send-off ceremony for the team at Tehran's central Revolution Square, where national TV footage showed large crowds of enthusiastic supporters waving flags.
Iran has been placed in Group G and will play their first World Cup match on June 15 in Los Angeles against New Zealand. They will then face Belgium in the same city before heading to Seattle to play Egypt.