Italy’s repechage to the World Cup: next opponent of'Iran announced
Iran is accelerating its preparation for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States and Mexico, despite the lingering visa problem and despite the ongoing conflict with the U.S., which is currently on hold after last April’s ceasefire. Technical commissioner Ghalenoei’s selection is currently in Turkey to take test matches and complete the last phase of preparation before (hopefully) moving to America.
Iran, which will face Gambia in a test match on May 29, also disclosed its rival for the last friendly before the trip to the United States. “The Iranian national soccer team will face Mali on June 4 in its second friendly match of the Antalya retreat in Turkey,” is the official statement released by the Iranian Federation.
On the visa front, the Iranian delegation traveled to Ankara to make appointments at the embassies of the United States and Canada. National team manager Mehdi Mohammad Nabi had told Irna news agency that he was confident of obtaining the documents within about ten days, pointing out that “about 50 percent of the national teams participating in the World Cup are still in the visa application stage.” Nabi also revealed the existence of a backup plan, which the federation reserved to make known “at the appropriate time.” Iran is expected to play all three group stage matches in the U.S., against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, with the possibility of moving to Vancouver in the event of qualification for the round of 16.
In the background of the Iranian affair, Italy, the first national team excluded in the FIFA rankings among those not qualified, remains vigilant. Under Article 6.7 of FIFA regulations-which provides for the possibility of replacing a withdrawn or excluded association with another federation-the Azzurri would represent the leading candidate for repechage in the event of an Iranian forfeit. A scenario that, in light of concrete steps taken by the Tehran-based federation in recent weeks, appears less and less likely, but which cannot yet be definitively dismissed.
