FIFA said the talks were held in Istanbul and aimed at securing Iran's participation in the next World Cup.
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FIFA Secretary General Mathis Grafstrom said Sunday's meeting with Iran was cordial. The talks were held in Istanbul and aimed to secure Iran's participation in the upcoming World Cup. Iran will play all three of its group games on American soil.
Iran will travel to the United States to play in the World Cup despite the ongoing war in the Middle East. Grafstrom said, "Our talks were very good. The talks with the Iranian FA have been solid. We are working together and we look forward to welcoming Iran to the United States. We discussed the same issues with Iran that we do with the FAs of every participating country. The talks have created a positive atmosphere and that is what we are happy about."
Earlier, Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj had said that the Iranian team had not yet received US entry permits. But after Sunday's meeting, he admitted that the situation was positive. He said, "We talked about the problems that Iran may face. We want to participate in the World Cup easily.’
The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Turkish Football Federation. Now the Iranian team will also go to Turkey on Monday and participate in a closed training there. From there, the Iranian team will travel to the United States. Iran will also play a friendly match there, which is against Gambia. The Iranian team currently has 30 players and will have to be reduced to 26 before going to the United States.
Sardar Azman will not be in the Iranian team. He has scored 57 goals for the Iranian team. He previously played for Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma. The forward had supported anti-government protests in Iran some time ago. Iranian state media has called him a traitor. He is now playing professional football in Dubai.
Iran is currently playing its fourth consecutive World Cup and plans to make its base in Tucson, Arizona, after arriving in the United States. Iran’s first match is on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles. They will then face Belgium and Egypt in Group G.
