TEHRAN – Iran national football team head coach Carlos Queiroz says that they will be fully prepared for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The Portuguese coach, who has taken charge of Team Melli for the second stint since last week, spoke to the reporters on the sidelines of the training in Tehran on Thursday.

“This is our first step towards preparing for the World Cup. We will do our best both on and off the field to get ready for the competition. I would like to thank the football federation for the new opportunity they gave us to fulfill the fans' dream,” Queiroz said.

“It's our responsibility to improve the conditions and make progress and always move forward.

“As a professional coach, I know that all teams in the world have progressed. We will also do our best to face our opponents in Qatar and will be fully prepared for the campaign.

The Sun Newspaper underestimated the Iranian football team on the frontage a day after the draw ceremony was held. The newspaper wrote: “It's Iranian men, hallelujah!”

“I have the same feeling that they have,” Queiroz said. “We like to play against the best teams in the world. England are one of the best teams in Europe and Iran are one of the best teams in Asia and that is why we are here.”

Iran will travel to Austria to play Uruguay and Senegal in two friendly matches on Sept. 23 and 27, respectively.

“The games with Senegal and Uruguay have been confirmed. I know these two teams very well because I have recently met them,” he said.

Russia football team are going to play Iran in Tehran in a friendly match in November, however the Iran coach said the match hasn’t been confirmed yet.

“We are reviewing our plans and we cannot talk about it until it’s finished,” Queiroz concluded.

Reporting by Masoud Hossein