Amid US-Israel war, Iran football team trains in Turkiye before World Cup

Iran’s men’s football team have been training in southern Turkiye as they ⁠prepare for two ⁠upcoming friendly matches before the FIFA World Cup, where the squad are likely to attract heightened attention against the backdrop of the United States-Israel ⁠war on Iran.

Team Melli held a training session in Belek, a resort area near the Mediterranean city of Antalya, with tightly restricted media access as officials ⁠said they wanted to avoid distractions before the matches described as critical to their World Cup preparations.

Iran’s football federation is in discussions with world governing body FIFA about moving its World Cup matches to Mexico from the US due ‌to concerns over player safety, federation President Mehdi Taj said last week.

Iran’s camp has largely sought to keep a low public profile as the team builds towards the World Cup, where they are expected to face intense political and media scrutiny.

In Belek, no interviews with players or coaches were made available, and a team media representative said the squad were focused entirely ⁠on their immediate competitive programme.

Iran will play two matches ⁠in Antalya, against Nigeria on Friday and Costa Rica on Tuesday.

The friendlies were originally scheduled to take place in Jordan, but were moved to Turkiye following the outbreak of the war on Iran.

The ⁠players appeared relaxed during the session in sunny conditions, with staff and players at times chatting and joking.

Among those ⁠present was forward Mehdi Taremi, who has been ⁠in the spotlight in recent days after swapping shirts with an Israeli opponent while playing for his club Olympiacos in Greece.

Striker Sardar Azmoun was omitted from the squad after posting a picture on ‌his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Iranian media reported that Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, ‌had ‌been expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government.

ایران - نیجریه؛ آغاز دوباره تیم ملی برای حضور در جام جهانی ۲۰۲۶

تیم ملی فوتبال ایران کار خود را برای حضور در جام جهانی ۲۰۲۶ در سال جدید با دیدار با نیجریه آغاز خواهد کرد.

March 26 - 1:00 PM.  Gillette Stadium

رادان میگه: هر کی بیاد تو خیابان دست ما رو ماشه است

قالیبف میگه :بریزین تو خیابان

صدا سیما میگه : ننه تون را به عزاتون میشونیم

Trump rejects Netanyahu's call to spark Iran uprising; They will get mowed down

US President Donald Trump rejected a proposal from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to jointly call on Iranians to rise up against their government, warning it could put civilians at serious risk, according to a report by Axios.

Citing US and Israeli sources, Axios reported that Trump pushed back during a call last week, arguing that such a move could lead to bloodshed rather than change.

"Why the hell should we tell people to take to the streets when they'll just get mowed down," Trump told Netanyahu, according to a US official briefed on the conversation.

The report highlights a key difference between Washington and Tel Aviv despite broad alignment on military goals in the ongoing war. While Netanyahu has identified triggering a popular uprising as a central objective, US officials say Trump views regime change as secondary — more of a "bonus" than a primary aim.