Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said he and his staff would have a lot of work to do to get their squad ready for the World Cup at their training camp in Turkey, with most players having been out of action for the past seven weeks.
The domestic Persian Gulf Pro League season was suspended after the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February and will not resume until after the World Cup.
Of the 30-man squad Ghalenoei named on Saturday, 22 play for Iranian clubs and have been restricted to a Tehran national team training camp since the friendlies against Costa Rica and Nigeria in Antalya at the end of March.
“Of course I am not completely satisfied with the level of preparedness of the players,” Ghalenoei told the club Iranian FA (FFIR) magazine before leaving for Turkey on Monday.
«But with a training camp lasting about two and a half to three weeks, we can make up about 20 to 25 percent of this shortfall. We need to bring our domestic players up to the level required for the modern game,» he added. «In terms of age profile, I think our domestic players are in a good position, but there are still areas that need improvement. We must continue our work in the Turkish camp with determination and optimism.»
Iran will play Gambia in a friendly match on May 29 before Ghalenoei announces his final 26-man squad for the World Cup season before the FIFA deadline on June 1.
The FFIR are still hoping to schedule another friendly in Turkey and will play a behind-closed-doors match against Puerto Rico at their US base in Arizona, provided they can enter the country without any problems.
“I hope that we can achieve suitable physical conditions in the first four or five days before our opening match at the World Cup,” Ghalenoei said.
“The training camp in Turkey, despite all the surrounding distractions and side issues, has become a crucial phase of our preparation.”
At the World Cup, Iran will take on New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, before wrapping up the group matches against Egypt in Seattle five days later.
Published on May 19, 2026
