SANTA MONICA — Iran has arrived. Tuesday afternoon the Iran National Team was the first to arrive to the World Cup, and with the kick off just about a week away, more teams are expected to arrive any day now.
Iran drew Group B and compete against Spain, Portugal and Morocco in Group B. Iran kicks off its first game on June 15 at 8 a.m. PT against Morocco at St. Petersburg Stadium. The team will be based at the Lokomotiv Bakovka Training Center in Moscow.
“The Iranian national team will relish rubbing shoulders with the best teams and being part of this fantastic World Cup family,” said Iran manager Carlos Queiroz. “We arrive raring to keep this dream going for as long as possible and we look forward to playing our part in making this the best World Cup ever.”
Iran is scheduled to play a friendly against Lithuanian in Moscow on June 8. The friendly in Russia could be a strategic play for Iran who has extra time to get used to Russia’s weather and surroundings. Competing in a tough group, Iran looks to be seeking to give itself the biggest advantage it can to get out of the group stage.
