TEHRAN – Iran Football Federation vice-president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi has said Team Melli will play a friendly match a week before the 2022 FIFA World Cup but nobody known the name of the team.

 According to him, Iran was supposed to play a match with a team from Persian Gulf region but it has not been confirmed so far.

Team Melli was scheduled to meet Russia in Tehran in mid-November.

The head coach of the Russian national football team Valery Karpin had said that his team will play Iran in a friendly match in Tehran or Doha on November 16. However, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz didn’t accept to play the Russian team.

Iran, under leadership of Queiroz, have played Uruguay and Senegal in Austria and a one more friendly will be helpful for them ahead of the Qatar’s World Cup.

“We wanted to play with a team from Persian Gulf countries but it has not been done yet. We will do our best to arrange a war-up match before the World Cup,” Nabi said.

Queiroz replaced Dragan Skocic on Sept. 7 and needs more time to prepare his team for the World Cup.

He is going to lead Iran for the third successive time in the World Cup.

Iran national football team will travel to Doha, Qatar on Nov. 14.

Team Melli have been drawn in Group B of the 2022 FIFA World Cup along with England, the U.S. and Wales.