Iran’s World Cup squad will travel to Turkey on Monday for a training camp, friendly games and to complete visa applications before heading to the United States.
Team Melli will return to Antalya where they trained and played friendly matches in March.
They are fielding a 30-man squad, which will have to be whittled down to the World Cup maximum of 26. Perhaps the best known is former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi, 33, who now manages Olympiacos.
“Selecting 30 players for this last training camp before the World Cup was the most difficult technical decision in my coaching career,” head coach Amir Ghalenoei told the Iranian football federation’s website, adding that he had selected the players on “technical criteria”.
Iran expects to play two friendly matches in Antalya. They have already confirmed one match, against Gambia, on May 29, said Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian-Canadian who runs a company that organizes friendlies for the team.
Iran and the United States severed diplomatic relations in 1980 and the players are expected to spend their time in Turkey completing the necessary visa procedures.
