Iran’s local soccer league has been suspended since March, with most of the team’s players inactive for several months.
Published May 19, 2026
Iran head coach Amir Galenoei believes the coaching and fitness staff will have less work to do as they prepare the team for the World Cup with a training camp in Turkiye as most players have been out of action for seven weeks.
The domestic Persian Gulf Professional League season was suspended after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, sparking a regional war, and will not resume until after the World Cup.
Of the 30 players named by coach Galenoei on Saturday, 22 play for Iranian clubs and have been limited to the Tehran national team’s training camp since friendly matches against Costa Rica and Nigeria in Antalya in late March.
“Obviously, I am not completely satisfied with the level of preparation of the players,” Galenoei told the Federation of Iran (FFIR) magazine on Monday before leaving for Turkiye.
“But in about two-and-a-half to three weeks of training camp, we can make up about 20 to 25 percent of this deficit.
“We need to bring domestically based players to the level required by the modern game,” he added. “From an age group perspective, I think the domestic players are in a good position, but there are still areas where they need to improve.
“We must continue our work in Turkiye camp with determination and optimism.”
Iran will play Gambia in a friendly on May 29, after which Ghalenoei will name the final 26-man World Cup squad by FIFA’s June 1 deadline.
FFIR is scheduled to play another friendly in Turkiye, and if they can enter the country without any problems, they will play a closed-door match against Puerto Rico at the US base camp in Arizona.
“I hope that I can reach the right physical condition in the first four or five days before the opening World Cup,” Galenoi said.
“The training camp in Turkiye was an important step in our preparation, despite the surrounding distractions and side issues.”
At the World Cup, Iran will face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15th, Belgium on the 21st, and finish the group stage against Egypt in Seattle five days later.
