Iran are heading to the World Cup while their country is at war with the primary host nation, a situation that is unique in the tournament's history.
In exclusive interviews with The Associated Press during a team camp in Turkey, two members of Iran's squad described how the conflict is affecting their World Cup preparations.
"Well, to be honest, it's not easy," said Saeid Ezatolahi, a 29-year-old midfielder who also played for Iran in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
"That's going to be my third World Cup. So for me and some of the other players, it might be easier to manage these kind of things," he said at training on Wednesday.
"But at the end ... it is going to be difficult for us because at the same time, we are following the news in our country and the political things, of course, can affect the mind of the players and the people."
The Iran team has spent more than two weeks in Turkey, mostly practising at the coastal resort Antalya, and some went to the capital Ankara to submit visa applications at the US embassy. Media access to their World Cup preparations has been limited, and the players rarely speak to international journalists.
The team are set to travel to Mexico this weekend after receiving visas from the Mexican embassy in Ankara. Problems with visa processing meant Iran's World Cup training base was moved from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, on Mexico's border with California.
Iran will play their first two games near Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian community, many of whom oppose the current government.
"So for sure, we are expecting to have a lot fans during our games at the stadium," Ezatolahi said. "And this is going to be a lot pressure for us because the expectation is going be high. I just wish we can make them proud and show them that Iranians, they are prepared for every hard job in the world," he said.
Mohammad Ghorbani, 24, is going to his first World Cup for Iran.
"It's true that we are facing special circumstances right now but we are football players and we have to play, practice, and prepare ourselves for the competitions we have ahead," the Abu Dhabi-based player said.
"On the other hand, we know that our people have been going through a lot of difficulties throughout the war, and we are going there for them, to get the best results for their joy and the joy of the people of our country."
The team are not required to enter the United States until June 14, one day before their first match against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Rams' stadium in Inglewood.
Iran return to Inglewood to face Belgium on June 21 and complete Group G in Seattle, against Egypt on June 26.
"I'm really proud to be part of my national team," said Ezatolahi, whose career has taken him to play for clubs in Spain, Russia, England, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar and now Dubai.
"We need to clear up our minds and be fresh because our target and our duty is to fight for our people, to represent our country and to show how good we are," he said.
Ghorbani agreed, saying the team wants to bring joy to Iranians.
"The best message I can give right now is that the Iranian team is showing what it means to be a team," he said. "We are showing that we are one team under one flag that can bring joy to our whole country, and to show the power of Iranian players and Iranian people to the world."
