Iran holds farewell ceremony for 2026 World Cup football team

Against a backdrop of conflict in the Middle East and contrastingly upbeat commercials from participatory teams/nations/brands, fans gathered at Enghelab Square in Tehran to attend a farewell ceremony for the Iranian men's football team as they headed to Turkey for final training camp before their departure for the World Cup. According to Iranian news agency MEHR, the Iranian football team hopes that "every member of the delegation will obtain their travel documents before the team depart for North America", whose three nations Canada, Mexico and the USA are hosting the event. "Iran National Team Director Mehdi Mohammad Nabi stated that the federation remains in constant communication with [organising body] FIFA and expects the issue to be resolved within the next two weeks". As US President Donald Trump spoke of fresh attacks on Iran, and Chinese President Xi Jinping - currently hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing - urged an end to all hostilities in the Middle East, eyes are on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to make good on his pledge that Iran would be welcomed “with enthusiasm” in North America. He described the 2026 FIFA World Cup - from which 2018 host Russia is still banned over the Ukrainian conflict - as “the most inclusive sporting event in history”.

Keywords: Iran football team World Cup 2026, Team Melli Head Coach Amir Ghalenoei, football and world affairs, August Hakansson, France 24 TV