According to Mehr News Agency, the Iranian national football team is planning to hold a friendly match against Puerto Rico as part of their preparation program for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mehdi Mohammadnabi, Vice President of the Football Federation and manager of the national team, stated that a low-intensity friendly has been scheduled for the period leading up to Iran’s opening World Cup match against New Zealand.

“This match will be held behind closed doors,” Mohammadnabi explained. “As is common practice in past World Cups, matches close to the start of the tournament are usually arranged with teams that are at a similar or even lower technical level than the national team to provide more suitable preparation conditions.”

The behind-closed-doors encounter is designed to fine-tune the team’s tactics and fitness without revealing strategies to future opponents. Iran is set to begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand, making this friendly an important final step in their preparations.

Puerto Rico is ranked 160th in the FIFA World Rankings. The two teams have never met at an international level at any competition.