Iran’s National Team Prepares for 2026 World Cup with Secret Match Against Mali

The Iranian Football Federation announced on Wednesday that the national team will play its final friendly match ahead of the 2026 World Cup behind closed doors. Iran will face Mali on Thursday in Turkey without any spectators or media coverage, before heading to Mexico for final preparations for the tournament.

This decision comes amidst uncertainty regarding Iran’s participation in the World Cup, despite having secured qualification early. The situation has been influenced by recent political and military developments in the country following airstrikes against Iran in recent months.

Recently, the Iranian team has conducted a series of friendly matches during its training camps in Antalya, Turkey. They suffered a defeat to Nigeria but bounced back with victories over Costa Rica and Gambia, concluding their preparation program with the match against Mali.

The Iranian Federation stated in an official announcement that the choice to hold the game without fans and media was made to adhere to the technical staff’s vision, aiming to maximize the benefits from this last match before entering official competition.

Additionally, the federation successfully obtained FIFA’s approval to relocate the team’s base during the tournament from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico. This move is intended to facilitate the team’s logistics during the World Cup.

The Iranian team will kick off its group stage matches in Los Angeles, facing New Zealand and Belgium before concluding their group stage campaign against Egypt in Seattle.

Iran is set to begin its World Cup journey on June 15 when they take on New Zealand in their opening match of the competition.