The most likely friendly match opponents for Team Melli in 2025 and 2026

[Rooyintan]

I think its because Arab teams are something familiar and not weak enough for the coaches/staff you listed to be in trouble for losing to in a one off whereas an unfamiliar team has the risk of being either too weak(we usually know ahead of time) or an unfamiliar team our level or stronger could embarass the team/coach.

Arab teams are super familiar and the excuse can always be "we were experimenting".

GN does not want to lose the job before WC.

He would be willing to say no friendlies at all before our first match if he could

Ghalenoei is brave in comparison to other Iranian coaches or footballers, as a coach he traveled to San Louis Potosi, Mexico to face the home team El Tri with a incomplete Team Melli whose stars or regular players such as Karimi, Mahdavikia, Hashemian, Rezaei, Teymourian, Kaabi chickened out and deliberately missed the match by refusing the call up and making excuses.

If any big team is willing and ready to face Team Melli, be sure Ghalenoei would accept.

Mayeli Kohan is a hypocrite, in his era as coach TM played Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, Turkmenistan, Kenya and yet when under Queiroz TM played Panama and Venezuela he was criticizing such opponents!!!

Azizi himself is a Khavari (same as Hazara in Afghanistan), yet he always makes offensive comments about Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan or perhaps other CAFA nations.

Eghbali so called expert football trainer has strong links to UAE or GCC countries, many times he criticized Iran being a member of CAFA, he always bragged on about West Asian Arab teams or WAFF tournaments. Once he was criticizing Iran women football/futsal team participating in CAFA tournaments and diminishing CAFA teams, yet he forgot that in WAFF some countries don't even have women's football such as Oman and Yemen, others such as Qatar and Kuwait are inactive, Iraq seldom plays, Saudi Arabia just started in 2022, or he forgot that in WAFF tournaments Iran women's team hammered Syria 13:0 in 2007, Bahrain and Palestine both 7:0 in 2005. Lebanon 8:1 in 2011. In Olympic Games or Asian Qualifiers Iran women team had huge wins over Syria and Lebanon as well like 12:0 and 8:0. Then in 2022 CAFA Womens Championship Iran lost to Uzbekistan 1:0, narrowly won Kyrgyzstan 1:0, scores versus Turkmenistan and Tajikstan were 4:0 and 5:0. In WAFF women's, only Jordan was able to defeat Iran, all other Arabs would get hammered whether 3:0 or huge scorelines such as those I mentioned.

Majedi when he was President of Football Federation, he always backed down on participating in CAFA tournament, that's why the first CAFA Nations Cup was delayed so long and took place in 2023 when Taj was president. Let's not forget Majedi did the greatest damage to TM, he wasted so much time that TM missed out on FIFA days and only played one match versus Algeria in June 2022. The media kept claiming Majedi was working very hard arranging friendlies, whereas it was the General Secretary Kamranifar who did all the hard work and managed to arrange Senegal and Uruguay friendlies which by then he was no longer in football federation since Taj, Nabi and Queiroz replaced Majedi, Kamranifar and Skocic.

Others when make embarrassing comments about non-AFC opponents either lack current football awareness or have toxic and malicious agenda. For Example, they criticized match with Nicaragua not realizing neither team played with their best players, Team Melli was local Iran league players, Nicaragua didn't feature most of their regulars, or they don't realize that Burkina Faso is a strong team, Ghalenoei had to educate those media fools that Burkina Faso ranking was close to Saudi Arabia can't remember whether 1+ or 1-

Bolivia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Bulgaria, Angola have long football history, all of them had achievements in their own continent and all had participated in World Cups.

Journalists are the most malicious whether those in Iran such as Misaghi or Ahmadi, or those abroad Taghavi (Iran International).

[Rooyintan]

I think its because Arab teams are something familiar and not weak enough for the coaches/staff you listed to be in trouble for losing to in a one off whereas an unfamiliar team has the risk of being either too weak(we usually know ahead of time) or an unfamiliar team our level or stronger could embarass the team/coach.

Arab teams are super familiar and the excuse can always be "we were experimenting".

GN does not want to lose the job before WC.

He would be willing to say no friendlies at all before our first match if he could

Ghalenoei is brave in comparison to other Iranian coaches or footballers, as a coach he traveled to San Louis Potosi, Mexico to face the home team El Tri with a incomplete Team Melli whose stars or regular players such as Karimi, Mahdavikia, Hashemian, Rezaei, Teymourian, Kaabi chickened out and deliberately missed the match by refusing the call up and making excuses.

If any big team is willing and ready to face Team Melli, be sure Ghalenoei would accept.

Mayeli Kohan is a hypocrite, in his era as coach TM played Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, Turkmenistan, Kenya and yet when under Queiroz TM played Panama and Venezuela he was criticizing such opponents!!!

Azizi himself is a Khavari (same as Hazara in Afghanistan), yet he always makes offensive comments about Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan or perhaps other CAFA nations.

Eghbali so called expert football trainer has strong links to UAE or GCC countries, many times he criticized Iran being a member of CAFA, he always bragged on about West Asian Arab teams or WAFF tournaments. Once he was criticizing Iran women football/futsal team participating in CAFA tournaments and diminishing CAFA teams, yet he forgot that in WAFF some countries don't even have women's football such as Oman and Yemen, others such as Qatar and Kuwait are inactive, Iraq seldom plays, Saudi Arabia just started in 2022, or he forgot that in WAFF tournaments Iran women's team hammered Syria 13:0 in 2007, Bahrain and Palestine both 7:0 in 2005. Lebanon 8:1 in 2011. In Olympic Games or Asian Qualifiers Iran women team had huge wins over Syria and Lebanon as well like 12:0 and 8:0. Then in 2022 CAFA Womens Championship Iran lost to Uzbekistan 1:0, narrowly won Kyrgyzstan 1:0, scores versus Turkmenistan and Tajikstan were 4:0 and 5:0. In WAFF women's, only Jordan was able to defeat Iran, all other Arabs would get hammered whether 3:0 or huge scorelines such as those I mentioned.

Majedi when he was President of Football Federation, he always backed down on participating in CAFA tournament, that's why the first CAFA Nations Cup was delayed so long and took place in 2023 when Taj was president. Let's not forget Majedi did the greatest damage to TM, he wasted so much time that TM missed out on FIFA days and only played one match versus Algeria in June 2022. The media kept claiming Majedi was working very hard arranging friendlies, whereas it was the General Secretary Kamranifar who did all the hard work and managed to arrange Senegal and Uruguay friendlies which by then he was no longer in football federation since Taj, Nabi and Queiroz replaced Majedi, Kamranifar and Skocic.

Others when make embarrassing comments about non-AFC opponents either lack current football awareness or have toxic and malicious agenda. For Example, they criticized match with Nicaragua not realizing neither team played with their best players, Team Melli was local Iran league players, Nicaragua didn't feature most of their regulars, or they don't realize that Burkina Faso is a strong team, Ghalenoei had to educate those media fools that Burkina Faso ranking was close to Saudi Arabia can't remember whether 1+ or 1-

Bolivia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Bulgaria, Angola have long football history, all of them had achievements in their own continent and all had participated in World Cups.

Journalists are the most malicious whether those in Iran such as Misaghi or Ahmadi, or those abroad Taghavi (Iran International).

[Rooyintan]

its also a travel problem. Traveling from Iran to Nicaragua for a friendly with a team ranked 131 is not very feasible. Its why it makes immediate neighbors are more appetizing

No one is saying Team Melli should travel far to play low ranked teams. Those teams are traveling to Iran when not many teams are willing to come and yet ignorant or malicious Iranian journalists, former coaches or former players or fans criticize such matches.

All the following games were in Iran.

- 2024 Burkina Faso (actually had a rank in 50s)
- 2023 Kenya, Angola
- 2022 Nicaragua
- 2018 Bolivia (reasonably good rank in comparison to most of TM's AFC opponents), Trinidad and Tobago, Sierra Leone
- 2017 Togo
- 2016 Kyrgyzstan
- 2012 Tajikistan, Mozambique, Mauritania
- 2011 Madagascar

Yet, same people who criticize are quiet when Palestine or Syria came to Iran or TM played Qatar, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Syria, Palestine, Bahrain, UAE when their ranking was low in those countries or neutral venues!

Most matches TM played against others from 2011 onward such as Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, Panama, Lithuania were in neutral venues. However, Bulgaria was an away match where TM traveled there.

For Example, in 2014 Trinidad and Tobago was in Brazil where the world cup was, in 2018 Lithuania was in Russia where the World Cup was, 2016 Papua New Guinea was a practice match in Malaysia where TM had to play Syria.

Other teams who were ready to travel to Iran during CQ era were Zimbabwe (FIFA did not allow the match to take place since few days later Zimbabwe had a match in Africa), Cuba, Tanzania, Venezuela (in 2011) were cancelled for unknown reasons, Uganda, Cape Verde were ready to come to Iran in 2023 but due to pressure from toxic journalists those matches were not arranged and instead Angola came to Tehran with an incomplete squad and TM easily won 4:0.

[oracle]

Ghalenoei is brave in comparison to other Iranian coaches or footballers, as a coach he traveled to San Louis Potosi, Mexico to face the home team El Tri with a incomplete Team Melli whose stars or regular players such as Karimi, Mahdavikia, Hashemian, Rezaei, Teymourian, Kaabi chickened out and deliberately missed the match by refusing the call up and making excuses.

If any big team is willing and ready to face Team Melli, be sure Ghalenoei would accept.

Mayeli Kohan is a hypocrite, in his era as coach TM played Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada, Turkmenistan, Kenya and yet when under Queiroz TM played Panama and Venezuela he was criticizing such opponents!!!

Azizi himself is a Khavari (same as Hazara in Afghanistan), yet he always makes offensive comments about Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan or perhaps other CAFA nations.

Eghbali so called expert football trainer has strong links to UAE or GCC countries, many times he criticized Iran being a member of CAFA, he always bragged on about West Asian Arab teams or WAFF tournaments. Once he was criticizing Iran women football/futsal team participating in CAFA tournaments and diminishing CAFA teams, yet he forgot that in WAFF some countries don't even have women's football such as Oman and Yemen, others such as Qatar and Kuwait are inactive, Iraq seldom plays, Saudi Arabia just started in 2022, or he forgot that in WAFF tournaments Iran women's team hammered Syria 13:0 in 2007, Bahrain and Palestine both 7:0 in 2005. Lebanon 8:1 in 2011. In Olympic Games or Asian Qualifiers Iran women team had huge wins over Syria and Lebanon as well like 12:0 and 8:0. Then in 2022 CAFA Womens Championship Iran lost to Uzbekistan 1:0, narrowly won Kyrgyzstan 1:0, scores versus Turkmenistan and Tajikstan were 4:0 and 5:0. In WAFF women's, only Jordan was able to defeat Iran, all other Arabs would get hammered whether 3:0 or huge scorelines such as those I mentioned.

Majedi when he was President of Football Federation, he always backed down on participating in CAFA tournament, that's why the first CAFA Nations Cup was delayed so long and took place in 2023 when Taj was president. Let's not forget Majedi did the greatest damage to TM, he wasted so much time that TM missed out on FIFA days and only played one match versus Algeria in June 2022. The media kept claiming Majedi was working very hard arranging friendlies, whereas it was the General Secretary Kamranifar who did all the hard work and managed to arrange Senegal and Uruguay friendlies which by then he was no longer in football federation since Taj, Nabi and Queiroz replaced Majedi, Kamranifar and Skocic.

Others when make embarrassing comments about non-AFC opponents either lack current football awareness or have toxic and malicious agenda. For Example, they criticized match with Nicaragua not realizing neither team played with their best players, Team Melli was local Iran league players, Nicaragua didn't feature most of their regulars, or they don't realize that Burkina Faso is a strong team, Ghalenoei had to educate those media fools that Burkina Faso ranking was close to Saudi Arabia can't remember whether 1+ or 1-

Bolivia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Bulgaria, Angola have long football history, all of them had achievements in their own continent and all had participated in World Cups.

Journalists are the most malicious whether those in Iran such as Misaghi or Ahmadi, or those abroad Taghavi (Iran International).

Great post

General was young and naive and az HOLEH HALIM OFTAD TO DIGH.
GENERAL HAS CHANGED AND only cares about result. He knows one BAD lose even in friendly he is GONE....

TM BENCH IS top 5 hardest hot seat job in the world...and that pressure have us top 20.

[PSGman#19]

Absolutely no need to play Belgium and Argentina or such in friendly. Just focus on countries that are affordable and have at least neutral relation with us : russia, turkey, belarus, armenia, georgia, kazakhstan, china, Venezuela, Bolivia, plenty of choice in africa or central america

[oracle]

Iran at Russia
October 7ish is confirmed

Iff also in a secret negotiation with a European team(they don't want trump to know who so they keep in it a secret)
Negotiation with Venezuela are at final stage

[PSGman#19]

I mean in an ideal world it would be nice to have a friendly schedule full of top euro and south american teams. However level of opposition our players face at club level is much more important that quality of friendlies. Our problem is that our players escape the hard route by choosing the weak opposition of IPL and UAE leagues every week and lack of progression. Playing mickey mouse teams every week and get trashed by England or any top team in friendly every two months (the same way ksa clubs trash our club twice every season) won't bring us anything