Shahriyar Moghanlou has been called up to Iran's preliminary squad for the World Cup and will join 30 other players at the pre-tournament training camp in Turkey [1, 2]. Moghanlou, who scored eight goals in the recent UAE Pro League season, joins his Kalba clubmate Saman Ghoddos in the squad [1, 2].
Coach Amir Ghalenoei must reduce the squad from 31 to 26 players by June 1 ahead of the tournament [1, 2]. Meanwhile, striker Sardar Azmoun, who also plays in the UAE Pro League but was excluded from the initial list, may still hope for inclusion [1, 2].
Midfielder Rouzbeh Cheshmi suffered a hamstring injury during training and is set to leave the Antalya camp for treatment [1, 2]. Iran will play a friendly against Gambia in Antalya on May 29 and another against Mali on June 4 in Turkey, the day before the squad departs for the United States [1, 2].
Players spent much of May 22 in Ankara applying for visas to enter Canada and the U.S. to facilitate travel during the tournament [1, 2]. Iran's group stage matches will be held entirely in the U.S., beginning with a June 15 game against New Zealand in Los Angeles [1, 2]. If Iran advances, the team may need to travel to Canada for knockout rounds [1, 2].
This travel may pose challenges given that Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj was refused entry to Canada last month due to his alleged links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Canada and the U.S. classify as a terrorist entity [1, 2].
The squad is now focused on training and friendly matches in Turkey as the June 1 deadline to finalize the 26-player roster approaches [1, 2].