The Iranian men’s national soccer team were one of the first teams to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, an event shaping up to be FIFA’s largest yet, not only in terms of footprint and participating teams but also commercially, projected to generate upwards of $11 billion in revenue.

The president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, recently drew international attention to a grassroots football field in the Iranian village of Lialman, near Lahijan.