"Ace is kicked out because of SNS photos." Iran still goes to the World Cup... Turkey Yeseo's training in ironclad security "Proceeds 2 consecutive A matches"

*This content was translated by AI.

Iran's men's national soccer team is in the midst of training in Turkey.

According to the British Independent on the 26th (Korea Standard Time), the Iranian national team is training in Bellek, near Antalya, Turkiye. Under strict control, no player or coaching staff interviews are allowed, and players are reportedly fully focused on training for the upcoming two consecutive warm-up matches.

Iran will face Nigeria on the 27th and Costa Rica on the 31st in Antalya. The situation in the Middle East is getting worse due to the war that broke out when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Originally, Iran was scheduled to play a warm-up match in Jordan, but in the aftermath of the war, the venue for the warm-up match was moved to Turkiye.

In 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, Iran was tied in Group G along with New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt. The problem is that all three Iran matches will be held in the United States. They will face New Zealand and Belgium on June 16 and 21 in Los Angeles and Egypt on June 27 in Seattle.

In response, Iran even hinted at its will to boycott and demanded that "play in Mexico, not the United States," but it is virtually impossible as the opening is imminent.

Iran is also troubled by noise from inside the squad. Sardar Azmoun, the key striker of the Iranian national team and the second-highest scorer ever, has been abruptly excluded from the upcoming A-match warm-up list. It's not because of injuries but because of political drafts.

Citing the Fars news agency, which has close ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, "Azmun was eliminated from the 35-member list announced by head coach Amir Galenoei for acting that was considered disloyal to the government," European football's "One Football" said on the 26th.

Azmoun, who played on the European stage, including Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma, is an Iranian star with 57 goals in 91 A matches. But posting a photo on his Instagram this week of a meeting with Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, drew the ire of Iranian authorities.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.