Amid US-Israel strikes, Iran captain sets bold target: 'We want to qualify for the World Cup'

NEW DELHI: Football chiefs offered "full enactment and assistance" to the Iranian squad successful Australia connected Sunday for the Women's Asian Cup aft the United States and Israel launched monolithic attacks connected their homeland.

Iran's 26-strong squad arrived connected the Gold Coast days earlier the strikes connected Saturday killed ultimate person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arsenic Washington and Tel Aviv question to topple the Islamic republic.They are owed to unfastened their tourney connected Monday against South Korea.

The Asian Football Confederation said successful a connection it "continues to intimately show the caller developments successful the Middle East during this challenging period".

"The AFC's foremost precedence remains the welfare, information and information of each players, coaches, officials and fans," it added."In this regard, we are successful adjacent and regular interaction with the Iran women's nationalist squad and officials connected the Gold Coast and are offering our afloat enactment and assistance."Iran manager Marziyeh Jafari held a pre-match property league connected Sunday but focused connected football, saying the tourney was a accidental to amusement "the imaginable of Iranian women".

"After the league play successful Iran, we came unneurotic for 3 grooming camps, earlier coming to Australia wherever we person had a fewer fruitful sessions, truthful I anticipation time we tin amusement you a bully match," she said.The 12-team tournament, which kicks disconnected Sunday, volition beryllium 1 of the biggest stages ever for galore Iranian players.They made a historical debut astatine the past Asian Cup successful India successful 2022 and suffered dense defeats against China and Taiwan, but it made them nationalist heroes successful a state wherever women's rights are severely restricted."In India successful 2022, the radical was a small easier, present successful 2026 we participate with much acquisition but the radical is much tough," said Jafari of a radical that besides includes hosts Australia and the Philippines."But we (still) privation to amusement successful these games the imaginable of Iranian women."Iran showed grit to travel done a challenging qualifying run for Australia that culminated with a triumph against favourites Jordan to seal a back-to-back appearance.Skipper Zahra Ghanbari said she was dreaming big."I judge this tourney is large with large teams, but we truly privation to suffice for the World Cup," said the 33-year-old."We cognize these volition beryllium pugnacious games, but we person a pugnacious mentality and we privation to bash our best."The apical six finishers volition suffice for the 2027 World Cup successful Brazil.