TEHRAN – Iran national football team head coach Marc Wilmots handed Team Melli No. 10 jersey to the minister of youth affairs and sports, Masoud Soltanifar, on Tuesday.

Team Melli coaching staff held a meeting with Soltanifar at the headquarters of the Youth and Sports Ministry in Tehran.

Wilmots, joined by his assistants Vahid Hashemian, Manu Ferrera and Laurent Spinosi in the meeting.

Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj also attended the meeting.

The coaching staff voiced their concerns about the Team Melli matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Iran will face Hong Kong in their opener on Sept. 10.

Iran have been drawn in Group C alongside Iraq, Bahrain, Cambodia and Hong Kong.

The eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The next best 24 teams from the second round of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining 12 slots in the 24-team AFC Asian Cup China 2023.