Iran first World Cup team to arrive in Russia

MOSCOW: Iran became the first team Tuesday to arrive in Russia for the World Cup, a month-long celebration of football that kicks off in Moscow's historic Luzhniki Stadium on June 14.

Playing in their fifth finals and ranked 36 by FIFA, Iran begin their campaign against Group B rivals Morocco on June 15 in Nizhny Novgorod.

They then travel to Kazan for a June 20 clash against former World Cup winners Spain, before concluding their group stage matches against Portugal on June 25.

The three-time Asian Cup winner easily qualified for their second successive World Cup, going unbeaten in 10 matches in their Asian group.

Iran lost 2:1 to Turkey in their last friendly on May 28, and have one last World Cup warmup against Lithuania on June 8.

Coached by Portugal's Carlos Queiroz, who has also managed his national side, Iran are long-shots to make their first knockout stage of a World Cup.

European bookmakers put their odds of winning the whole thing at 500 to 1.

They will be based at the training facilities of the Russian Premier League club Lokomotiv Moscow, on the Russian capital's southwestern outskirts.

Grouping 32 nations, the World Cup concludes in Moscow on July 15.