The Iranian national team will hold a five-to-six day training camp ahead of potentially featuring in the 2026 World Cup.
Journalist Hatam Shiralizadeh says the camp will take place in Tehran with players who play in the domestic league seeing their fitness tested.
The Iranian league has been suspended since Israel and the US launched joint strikes on Iran in late February.
As such, their participation in the tournament co-hosted by the US has been thrown into huge doubt.
Will Iran play at the World Cup?
As part of the attack Iran’s leader was killed in strikes, and both the football association and ministry of sport said the situation was untenable.
Sports minister Ahmad Doyanmali said: “Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, there are no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup.
“We have been subjected to two wars in eight or nine months, and several thousand of our citizens have been killed.
“Therefore, we have no possibility of participating in this way.”
Despite those comments the training camp does appear to suggest a change in approach.
Throughout the war FIFA president and Donald Trump sycophant Gianni Infantino has continually tried to play down Iran not turning up.
Giving an update today, he was asked about their participation and said: “That’s for sure.
“We hope that by then (the start of the competition on June 11), the situation will be peaceful, which would really help.”
He added: “But Iran must come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play.”
Infantino’s friend Trump also earlier said that the Iranian team should not come to the US ‘for their own safety’.
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