MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Iran’s governing body of football FFIRI (Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran) is in contact with the Russian Football Union (RFU) on the organization of a friendly match between the national teams of the two countries, RFU Secretary General Maxim Mitrofanov told TASS on Wednesday.
Tasnim news agency reported in March that the Iranian football body had floated the idea of playing a friendly match against the Russian side on October 6.
"Thankfully, Iran got in touch with us. Therefore, the outcome will be positive," Mitrofanov said. "The match in Russia in October must be held."
The Russian and Iranian teams previously played against each other on three occasions: in 2011, when Iran defeated Russia 1-0, and in 2017 and 2023, which both ended in a 1-1 draw.
The USSR also played three matches against Iran, winning all of them: in the quarterfinals of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada (2-1), in a 1976 friendly match (1-0) and in the 1985 Nehru Cup (2-0).
The Iranian national football team has already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. The matches will be played in 16 cities across the North American continent. This will be the first FIFA World Cup featuring 48 teams compared to the previous 32-team format.
Situation in Iran
In the early morning hours of June 13, Israel launched a military operation against Iran. Less than 24 hours later, Iran retaliated. Nine days later, in the small hours of June 22, US jets attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities, entering the conflict.
The following evening, Tehran launched a missile strike on Al Udeid, the largest US military airbase in the region, located in Qatar. According to the US authorities, there were no casualties or significant damage.
US President Donald Trump later announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a complete ceasefire that took effect on June 24.
Russia’s football ban
The world’s governing football body, FIFA, announced on February 28, 2022, that the Russian national team and all professional clubs representing the country were barred from participating in FIFA tournaments.
In turn, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) made a similar decision regarding the Russian national football team’s participation in UEFA tournaments.
Both FIFA and UEFA cited Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as grounds for their respective bans on Russian teams’ participation in competitions.