Iran is preparing for the upcoming World Cup under highly unusual circumstances, as the team gets ready to compete while the country remains in conflict with the primary host nation—a situation without precedent in the tournament’s history.

During exclusive interviews with The Associated Press at a training camp in Turkey, two Iranian national team players spoke candidly about how the continuing geopolitical tensions have affected their preparations for the World Cup.

“To be honest, it’s not easy,” admitted Saeid Ezatolahi, the 29-year-old midfielder who is set to make his third World Cup appearance for Iran. He acknowledged that while his prior experience could help ease some of the pressure, the overall situation remains extremely challenging.

“This will be my third World Cup. For me and a few of the other players, it might be a bit easier to handle such circumstances,” he said in English during a Wednesday training session.

Ezatolahi conceded that staying focused on football has been tough. “In the end, it’s still going to be difficult for us because we are following the news from our country, and naturally, the political issues can affect both the players’ and the people’s state of mind.”

The Iranian squad has been training for over two weeks in Turkey, largely at the seaside resort of Antalya. Some players travelled to Ankara to submit visa applications at the US embassy. Media access to their World Cup camp has been limited, with players seldom speaking to international journalists.

The team is scheduled to depart for Mexico this weekend after obtaining visas from the Mexican embassy in Ankara. Earlier setbacks in visa processing forced Iran to shift its World Cup training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, located on Mexico’s border with California.

Iran’s first two matches are set to take place near Los Angeles, a city with a large Iranian diaspora community, many of whom are critical of the current government.

“We definitely expect to have many supporters at our games,” Ezatolahi remarked. “That brings a lot of pressure because expectations will be high. I just hope we can make them proud and show that Iranians are ready to take on any challenge in the world,” he added.

“It’s true that we are living through exceptional circumstances, but as footballers, our job is to train, play, and prepare for the competitions ahead,” said the Abu Dhabi-based player in a statement given to the AP in Farsi.

“At the same time, we know our people have been enduring many hardships because of the war, and we’re going there for them—to bring joy and good results for our country and its people.”

The team is not required to enter the United States until 14 June, a day before their opening match against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Rams’ stadium in Inglewood.

Iran will return to Inglewood to face Belgium on 21 June, before wrapping up their Group G fixtures in Seattle against Egypt on 26 June.

“I’m truly proud to represent my national team,” said Ezatolahi, who has played for clubs in Spain, Russia, England, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar, and now Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. “We need to stay mentally clear and fresh because our responsibility is to fight for our people, represent our nation, and show how capable we are.”

Another player, Ghorbani, echoed Ezatolahi’s sentiments, highlighting the squad’s determination to lift the spirits of Iranians. “The most important message I can share right now is that this team represents unity,” he said. “We are one team under one flag, determined to bring happiness to our country and to show the strength of Iranian players and people to the world.”