Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has admitted that his team is not fully prepared for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after many domestic players spent nearly seven weeks without competitive football. The Iranian league season was suspended earlier this year following military tensions in the region, which disrupted the country's football calendar and affected preparations for the global tournament.
Most of Iran's squad members currently play in the domestic Persian Gulf Pro League. Because of the long break, the national team has mainly trained in Tehran since March. Iran will now travel to Turkey for an important training camp before the World Cup begins. Ghalenoei hopes the camp and upcoming friendly matches will improve the squad's physical condition before their opening group-stage game next month.
Amir Ghalenoei named a 30-man preliminary squad over the weekend, with 22 players coming from Iranian clubs. The coach admitted the squad still lacks match sharpness because the domestic league season has remained suspended since late February. Iran last played friendly matches against Costa Rica and Nigeria in Antalya during March. Speaking before the team's departure to Turkey, Ghalenoei told Iranian FA (FFIR) magazine that he was not completely satisfied with the players' current fitness levels. However, he remains hopeful that the long training camp can help the team recover some of the lost preparation time. He believes the camp could improve the players' readiness by around 20 to 25 percent before the tournament starts.
The Iran coach also said the domestic-based players have a good age profile and enough potential to compete at the highest level. Still, he stressed that the squad must continue working hard to meet the physical and tactical demands of modern football. He added that the Turkey camp has become a very important part of Iran's World Cup preparations despite several outside distractions.
Iran are scheduled to face Gambia in a friendly match on May 29 before Ghalenoei announces his final 26-man World Cup squad on June 1. The Iranian Football Federation is also trying to arrange another practice game in Turkey. Iran could later face Puerto Rico in a closed-door match at their training base in Arizona if travel arrangements are completed successfully.
At the FIFA World Cup 2026, Iran will begin their campaign against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles. They will then face Belgium on June 21 before playing their final group-stage match against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
