Iran Football Team Trains in Turkiye Amid US-Israel Conflict Ahead of World Cup

AI Summary

Iran's men's football team is training in Turkiye ahead of the World Cup, seeking to minimize distractions amid the ongoing US-Israel conflict. The team will play friendly matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica.

Iran's men's football team, Team Melli, has been training in southern Turkiye as they prepare for two upcoming friendly matches before the FIFA World Cup. The team's preparations come against the backdrop of the US-Israel war on Iran, which is likely to attract heightened attention during the World Cup.

The team held a training session in Belek, Antalya, with tightly restricted media access. Officials stated that they wanted to avoid distractions before the matches, which are critical to their World Cup preparations.

Iran's football federation is in discussions with FIFA about moving its World Cup matches to Mexico from the US due to concerns over player safety. The friendly matches were originally scheduled to take place in Jordan but were moved to Turkiye following the outbreak of the war on Iran.

The team will play against Nigeria on Friday and Costa Rica on Tuesday. Striker Sardar Azmoun was omitted from the squad after posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai's ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Iranian media reported that Azmoun had been expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government.