Iran confirms squad will travel to Turkey for World Cup preparation.

Head coach Amir Ghalenoei announced on Saturday that Iran’s World Cup squad will depart for Turkey on Monday to conduct a training camp, play friendly matches, and finish visa paperwork before heading to the United States.

The national team, known as Team Melli, will return to Antalya, where it previously trained and played friendlies in March.

A 30‑player squad has been selected, from which the roster will be reduced to the 26‑player limit for the World Cup. Among the selected is 33‑year‑old former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi, who currently plays for Olympiacos.

Ghalenoei said on the federation’s website that choosing 30 players for the final training camp was the most challenging technical decision of his coaching career, noting that the selection was based solely on technical criteria.

The squad plans to play two friendly matches in Antalya; one against Gambia on 29 May has already been confirmed, according to Sam Mehdizadeh, an Iranian‑Canadian who runs a company that arranges friendlies for the team.

Since Iran and the United States severed diplomatic relations in 1980, the players will use their stay in Turkey to complete the required visa procedures.

Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian football federation, told Iranian media on Thursday that no visas had yet been issued.

Taj added that players would need to be fingerprinted in Turkey as part of the visa process, but he preferred to avoid a journey of over 450 kilometres (280 miles) from Antalya to Ankara.

Taj is slated to meet with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, as Tehran seeks assurances for its squad amid heightened tensions caused by the ongoing war.