SAEDNEWS: Although Russia is banned from official competitions under FIFA/UEFA sanctions, it continues to feature repeatedly as an opponent for Iran’s national football team in friendly matches.
According to SAEDNEWS: as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers conclude in June, the Iranian Football Federation must prepare friendly matches during the 2025 FIFA international breaks to ensure proper preparation for the World Cup. At present, another match against Russia in October 2025 has been confirmed. Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, the First Vice President of the Federation and Team Manager, announced that the match will be held on October 10, 2025, in Moscow.
Additionally, the Venezuelan Football Federation has proposed a friendly match against Iran, and negotiations are ongoing. Meanwhile, Iran is also looking to arrange a match against a European team. However, given the busy schedule of European teams due to World Cup qualifiers and the UEFA Nations League, this seems unlikely—unless Iran faces a team like Belarus, which, like Russia, is banned from UEFA international competitions.
Russia has been under sanctions for some time, leaving its national football team in an uncertain situation. While Russian players possess strong physical attributes, making them a decent challenge for Iran, repeatedly playing against them could hinder Iran’s growth. Ideally, Iran should arrange friendlies with other top football nations to gain more experience.
So far, only one confirmed friendly against Russia in October 2025 has been scheduled. However, Iran will have opportunities to play two friendly matches during each international break in September, October, November, and March of 2025 and 2026.
European teams will not be available for friendlies until at least March 2026 due to their commitments. Until then, Asian and South American teams remain Iran’s best options for friendly matches. The South American World Cup qualifiers will conclude in September 2025, providing an opportunity for Iran to negotiate friendly games with teams from South America in October, November, and March 2026.
Meanwhile, African teams will also have a packed schedule until at least the end of 2025.
