Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said travel restrictions and visa-related disruptions hampered his team's World Cup preparations after a 2-2 draw with New Zealand, claiming Iran had become the tournament's "most oppressed" side.
Iran's coach and their key player said the national team will strive to bring joy and unity to Iranian people around the world, despite war and other tensions making their FIFA World Cup adventure uniquely challenging.
Iran's national football team is training in Turkey for upcoming friendlies as they prepare for the FIFA World Cup, facing heightened attention due to geopolitical tensions.
Iran's football federation has requested FIFA to clarify the timeline for issuing tournament visas after relocating their World Cup training camp from Arizona to Tijuana due to diplomatic friction and visa complications.
Iran footballers faces cheers and jeers in their come-from-behind 2-2 draw against New Zealand in their FIFA World Cup final opener in Los Angeles on Monday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that he met with United States President Donald Trump, who told him he welcomed Iran's participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
A gritty India fought hard for most part but let in two goals in the last seven minutes to eventually lose 0-3 to defending champions Iran in their second group match of the CAFA Nations Cup football tournament, in Hisor, Tajikistan, on Monday.
Wales Goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey received the first red card of the Qatar World Cup on Friday, when he was sent off for clattering into Iran's Mehdi Taremi outside the area late in the match.
Napoli celebrated their second Italian title in three years -- and fourth overall -- after a thrilling battle with Inter whose 2-0 win at Como following goals from Stefan de Vrij and Joaquin Correa left them one point adrift of their rivals.
Barcelona snapped their four-match winless streak in LaLiga with an emphatic 7-1 victory over Valencia on Sunday.
Images from the FIFA World Cup Group B match between Wales and Iran on Friday.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday
A season which once promised so much for Inter Milan now hangs on Simone Inzaghi's experienced side beating Paris St Germain in the Champions League final.
Inter Milan missed the chance to go top of Serie A as they fell to a 1-0 loss at Juventus on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Tuesday.
England hammered Iran 6-2 on Monday in an emphatic World Cup opener thanks to two goals from Bukayo Saka
A summary of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Japan's march to the 2026 World Cup continued on Tuesday as Hajime Moriyasu's side handed China a 3-1 defeat in Xiamen while Iran eked out a late 3-2 win over Kyrgyzstan and South Korea were held to a 1-1 draw by Palestine.
Coach Branko Ivankovic insisted China's World Cup qualifying campaign was still alive despite back-to-back losses to Saudi Arabia and Australia over the last five days leaving them bottom of Asian qualifying Group C.
Saudi Arabia took third place in Group C and will feature in a fourth phase of qualifiers in October alongside Indonesia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Oman.
Loud jeers were heard from Iranian supporters as the anthem played, with the team singing quietly as it played.
Iran were deserved winners even if they left it very late.
We haven't played the best coming into the tournament. There was a lot of talk and speculation about our form but we showed everyone how much quality we have and what we can do," said Saka, whose last major tournament ended with him missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final shootout.
Carlos Queiroz's players will now fancy their chances after an impressive display
A summary of Tuesday's Champions League Round of 16, Second Leg, matches.
Qatar returns to the spotlight on Friday little more than a year after the first World Cup held in the Arab world when the relocated and delayed 2023 Asian Cup gets underway amid a seismic shift in football's global order.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League
Paris St Germain reached the Champions League semi-finals despite a 1-0 home defeat by holders Bayern Munich as they progressed on away goals
IMAGES from Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Pavel Matiash pushed the ball into his own net five minutes into the second half to cancel out Akhlidin Israilov's first-half opener before Yu secured the points for China with a calm finish 12 minutes from time.
IMAGES from the Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
The United States stormed into the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday by beating Iran 1-0 at a cacophonous Al Thumama Stadium after Christian Pulisic bundled the ball home in a Group B showdown shrouded by decades of enmity between the two nations.
'We were not lying yesterday when we said in the press conference Iran is a tough team'
Three-times champions Iran came through an early scare before marching confidently into the Asian Cup quarter-finals for the 13th time in 14 attempts with a 2-0 victory over a spirited Oman team.
RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol powered home a towering header in 70th-minute to earn them a 1-1 draw against visitors Manchester City in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Spain squeezed past dogged Iran 1-0 in their World Cup Group B encounter on Wednesday, thanks to a fortuitous goal from Diego Costa, but the Europeans suffered a string of second-half scares.
Iran took a significant step towards qualifying for next year's World Cup finals with a 1-0 win over China on Tuesday that pushed Marcello Lippi's team closer to the brink of elimination.
Manchester City squandered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday.
