Iran have been drawn in Group B of the 2018 World Cup alongside Spain, Portugal and Morocco, following the draw at Kremlin on Friday.
Carlos Queiroz’s side will launch their campaign with a match against Morrocco on June 15 at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.
After that, Team Maelli will take on the former World Cup champions Spain on June 20 in Kazan and end their campaign with a clash against European champions Portugal 5 days later in Saransk.
The chance for Iran to qualify for the knock-out stage might not be appreciated after being drawn in the same group with powerhouses Spain and Portugal.
However, this time coach Queiroz is targeting the knockout stages and has vowed Iran will “not go to Russia as tourists.”
The former Real Madrid coach guided his team to become the first team in Asia to qualify for next year’s World Cup with 18 unbeaten qualifying games across two rounds.
On the other hand, Queiroz must know how to counter some Spaniard and Portuguese world-class stars such as Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, who had been managed by the 64-year-old at Real Madrid.