News / Sports

Iran football team will face Algeria in pre-World Cup friendly

Friday, 22 December 2017 9:05 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 22 December 2017 9:05 AM ]

The Iran men’s national football team (file photo)

The Iran men’s national football team, domestically known as Team Melli, has added another friendly fixture to its preparations for the 2018 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, and will take on Algeria in a warm-up match next year.

The match, which has been scheduled for March, will give Team Melli some competitive testing before starting its World Cup campaign against Morocco, which has the same style of football as that of Algeria.

During the official 2018 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony at Kremlin State Palace in the Russian capital city of Moscow on December 1, Team Melli joined the Portugal national football team, nicknamed A Selecção, Spain’s La Furia Roja and Atlas Lions of Morocco in the preliminary round of the tournament.

A monitor displays Group B during the 2018 FIFA World Cup football tournament final draw at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, on December 1, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The host nation, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay form Group A in the upcoming quadrennial international sports event.

France is drawn in Group C, and is pitted against Australia, Peru and Denmark.

Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria are drawn in Group D.

Group E consists of Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia.

While the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion Germany, Mexico, Sweden and South Korea shape Group F, Belgium, Panama, Tunisia and England are in Group G.

Group H has Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 14 to July 15. Russia will open the event against Saudi Arabia in a Group A fixture at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities.

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