Iran midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi admitted on Wednesday that preparing for the World Cup in Türkiye while his country is at war with the primary host nation has been a mental challenge.
"To be honest, it's not easy," Ezatolahi, 29, said of the situation.
In the near 100-year history of the tournament, a host country has never been at war with a participating nation.
"But at the end ... it is going to be difficult for us because at the same time, we are following the news in our country and the political things, of course, can affect the mind of the players and the people."
Ezatolahi, who also played for Iran in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, spoke with The Associated Press during the team's camp in Türkiye, where the team have spent more than two weeks, mostly practicing at the coastal resort Antalya, while some went to the capital Ankara to submit visa applications at the United States embassy.
Media access to their World Cup preparations has been limited, and the players rarely speak to international journalists.
The team are set to travel to Mexico this weekend after receiving visas from the Mexican embassy in Ankara.
The team said Thursday that the process of obtaining entry permits had been finalised for all members of the squad.
Problems with visa processing meant Iran's World Cup training base was moved from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, on Mexico's border with California.
Iran will play their first two games near Los Angeles, which has a large Iranian community, many of whom oppose the current government.
"So for sure, we are expecting to have a lot fans during our games at the stadium," Ezatolahi said. "And this is going to be a lot pressure for us because the expectation is going be high. I just wish we can make them proud and show them that Iranians, they are prepared for every hard job in the world."
Mohammad Ghorbani, 24, is going to his first World Cup for Iran.
"It's true that we are facing special circumstances right now but we are football players and we have to play, practice, and prepare ourselves for the competitions we have ahead," the Abu Dhabi-based player told the AP in Farsi.
"On the other hand, we know that our people have been going through a lot of difficulties throughout the war, and we are going there for them, to get the best results for their joy and the joy of the people of our country."
The team is not required to enter the United States until June 14, one day before its first match against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Rams' stadium in Inglewood.
Iran return to Inglewood to face Belgium on June 21 and complete Group G in Seattle, against Egypt on June 26.
"I'm really proud to be part of my national team," said Ezatolahi, whose career has taken him to play for clubs in Spain, Russia, England, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar and now Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
"We need to clear up our minds and be fresh because our target and our duty is to fight for our people, to represent our country and to show how good we are," he said.
Ghorbani agreed, saying the team want to bring joy to Iranians.
"The best message I can give right now is that the Iranian team is showing what it means to be a team," he said. "We are showing that we are one team under one flag that can bring joy to our whole country, and to show the power of Iranian players and Iranian people to the world."
