Arjun Menon
Iran will face Mali behind closed doors in the Turkish resort of Antalya on Thursday, their final preparation match before departing for their World Cup tournament base in Tijuana, Mexico, on Saturday. The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) confirmed the fixture on Wednesday, citing the match’s tactical significance and specifying there will be no media attendance.
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Despite being one of the first nations to qualify, Iran‘s World Cup participation has remained under genuine uncertainty since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February. The squad has completed two training camps in Antalya during that period, playing three friendlies: a loss to Nigeria, a win over Costa Rica, and a win over Gambia.
“Considering the importance of the Iranian national football team’s friendly match against Mali, and in line with the tactical objectives of Iran’s head coach, tomorrow’s match against Mali will be held behind closed doors and without media attendance,” FFIRI said in a statement.
The FFIRI successfully negotiated with FIFA to relocate the team’s base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico. From there, the squad will cross the border for their first two Group G matches: against New Zealand and Belgium, both in Los Angeles. Their third group stage fixture, against Egypt, takes place in Seattle.
The political dimension surrounding the team’s travel has been addressed at the highest diplomatic level. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Tuesday that Washington has “no problem” with the Iranian players entering the country, but drew a firm line on accompanying personnel.
“What we’re not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature, so we were going to watch that very closely,” Rubio said during a House of Representatives committee hearing.
Both the U.S. and Canada, co-hosts of the tournament alongside Mexico, classify the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity. FFIRI President Mehdi Taj was denied entry into Canada for the FIFA Congress in late April due to his reported links to that military force.
Iran are scheduled to open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on June 15. Stay with TipsGG for full coverage of every Group G match and tournament developments as they unfold.