For the upcoming FIFA Day, the FFIRI has agreed terms with its Bulgarian counterpart to arrange a friendly game between Iran and Bulgaria in Sofia.

According to Mehdi Mohammad Nabi. the secretary general of the FFIRI who is also the Team Melli manager, the game will be held in Bulgaria and the federation is actively seeking another opponent in that period in order for Team Melli to fully benefit from FIFA Day international break.

Bulgaria is ranked 71 in the FIFA World ranking while Iran is second in Asia and 22nd in the world, 49 rank ahead of its rival.

The two teams met once in Tehran as part of Team Melli’s preparation for its first FIFA World Cup appearance in Argentine. That match ended in a 1-1 draw in front of 65,000 fans with Ali Parvin equalizing through a spot kick after Bulgaria took the lead in the first half.

IRAN LINEUP:

Nasser HEJAZI : Hasan NAYEBAGHA (46′ Behtash FARIBA), Andranik ESKANDARIAN, Hassan NAZARI,
Ali SHOJAEI, Nassrollah ABDOLLAHIE (66′ Javad ALLAHVARDI);Ebrahim GHASEMPOUR, Ali PARVIN ( 62′ Mahmoud HAGHIGHIAN),
Mohammadreza ADELKHANI (75′ Iraj DANAEIFARD); Hassan ROWSHAN (56′ Hossein FARAKI),Ghafour JAHANI

From that team, Mohammad Reza Adelkhani failed to make the squad to Argentina after suffering an injury at home.