The stability and pragmatism of Carlos Queiroz's seven-year reign has firmly established Iran's as Asia's number one team, but the nation will go to the World Cup hoping to advance for the first time to the knockout phase.
With few exceptions, female fans have been banned from sports events in the Islamic republic since the 1979 revolution and FIFA faced calls for the men's team to be banned from the 2022 World Cup over the issue.
When everyone has footage and no one can verify it, the loudest voice wins, notes Prem Panicker who begins a daily blog on the War in the Middle East.
Eight stadiums in Doha will host 64 matches at the World Cup.
Indian football team's dismal run continued as they suffered a humiliating 0-4 loss to Iran in a Group D match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
'For us, they are referees, they are match officials'
Brazil increased their lead at the top and Spain dropped below Italy.
Pro-Palestinian sympathies among fans have also spilt into stadiums as four Arab teams compete
Iran's unbeaten streak in the ongoing Kabaddi World Cup came to a grinding halt after they were stunned by minnows Polland 25-41 in their league clash at the TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Just a few days back it seemed like Qatar, which has strict controls on alcohol, would relax their laws for the football extravaganza as consuming alcohol in public places is illegal in the Gulf country.
Balloons in the national colours of Israel and Qatar festooned the departure gate for the first commercial flight between the countries on Sunday, permitted by Doha for fans of the World Cup despite the absence of formal bilateral relations.
Aravindh Chithambaram defeated D Gukesh at the Prague International Chess Festival, while Jorden van Foreest maintains his lead in the tournament.
'It is a matter of great pride for India to be among the hosts of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers, and I am particularly pleased to see Ahmedabad take centre stage.
Young Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated veteran Michal Krasenkow 2-0 in the rapid tie-break in the third round of the FIDE chess World Cup in Sochi on Tuesday.
Travel disruptions following airspace closures in the Gulf have forced Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev to miss an Indian Wells exhibition, while an ATP Challenger in Fujairah was cancelled amid security concerns.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has asked FIFA why the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was not used to review two key decisions they believe hindered their side during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Switzerland.
World champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by David Navara in the fourth round of the Prague International Chess Festival, while Jorden van Foreest took the lead with his third victory.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz is refusing to be seduced by the free-flowing soccer that is thrilling World Cup fans, saying his team will show the value of good defending when they face Nigeria.
Indian Grandmasters D Gukesh and Aravindh Chithambaram had contrasting results in the second round of the Prague International Chess Festival, with Gukesh drawing and Aravindh winning his game.
The injury to the 32-year-old stalwart is a big blow to India as they take on a strong Afghanistan side in their third and final Group B match on Thursday.
Here is an overview of the teams that have been eliminated
England, who are gunning for their second World Cup title, have the most valuable squad in Qatar with Jude Bellingham topping a list of over 800 players.
Defender Ehsan Hajsafi became on Sunday the first member of Iran's national team to speak out from the World Cup in Doha in apparent support of anti-government protests at home, saying players should be the voice of those suffering.
The football world gathered in the Qatari capital on Friday as the draw ceremony for the World Cup finals got under way with music and dance.
Sterling did not play a part in England's 3-0 win over Senegal in the last 16, leaving Qatar last weekend to return to his family.
England begin their World Cup group campaign against Iran on November 21.
Iran and Nigeria laboured to the first stalemate of a scintillating World Cup on Monday with a dismal 0-0 draw that left both sides still chasing their first victory at a finals since 1998.
Iran and Nigeria laboured to the first stalemate of a scintillating World Cup on Monday with a dismal 0-0 draw that left both sides still chasing their first victory at a finals since 1998.
The FIFA Under-17 World Cup Trophy arrived in Goa -- the land of beaches -- on Friday after mesmerising Mumbai last week.
Bosnia beat Iran 3-1 in their Group F finale on Wednesday to record their first World Cup win and deny the West Asians any chance of reaching the knockout stage.
Both the teams have won their respective opening matches with Germany getting past Costa Rica 2-1 and Iran beating Guinea 3-1 last Saturday.
A group of current and former Iranian sportspeople say they have no choice but to turn on their own country, citing what they called state-sponsored violence and discrimination against ordinary Iranians, especially women.
Iran produced a resolute defensive display to beat South Korea 1-0 away in Ulsan on Tuesday as both sides booked a place in the World Cup finals in Brazil.
The stadiums at Qatar offer plenty of wisdom and chutzpah on how to take our own lives forward.
'But this was our first match point, if we compare this to tennis, our second match point comes against Portugal. We're still alive and dreaming'
More than 50 Africa-born or African-origin players are spread across 11 teams -- excluding sides from the continent -- that are part of the tournament in Qatar.
A foul on Cristiano Ronaldo during Portugal's Group B clash against Iran on Monday resulted in a record 19th penalty at the World Cup.
It is only the second time in almost 40 years that Iranian women have been able to watch football in Tehran's Azadi stadium, Iran's biggest with 120,000 seats.
