Hong Kong reviewing World Cup qualifier against Iran over ‘complicated’ Middle East

The Hong Kong Football Association said it was monitoring the security situation in Iran ahead of the national team’s scheduled World Cup qualifying match in the country next month.

Hong Kong completed a two-leg victory over Bhutan this week to reach the second stage of Asian qualification for the 2026 tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico.

Head coach Jorn Andersen’s team are scheduled to play Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Group E, with their first game in Tehran on November 16, followed by a match at home against Turkmenistan five days later.

But heightened tensions in the region raised the question over the feasibility for the Hong Kong team’s travel.

“We know the situation in the Middle East is complicated,” an HKFA spokesman said. “The Hong Kong team administration will work on this [reviewing safety of travel] soon.”

Global governing body Fifa told the Post that the Asian Football Confederation was responsible for “[approving] the venues and the stadiums” per competition regulations.

Repeated calls and messages to the AFC have gone unanswered.

Hong Kong last played in Iran in 1977. The teams met in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, but the ‘away’ match was staged on neutral territory in Bahrain, with the AFC rushing to complete fixtures following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Australia head coach Graham Arnold, meanwhile, has called on his nation’s government to ensure a safe, neutral venue for the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier against Palestine, given the region’s continuing war.

Australia are scheduled to play Palestine on November 21, with the venue to be decided.

“No doubt, we are going to need the government’s support in those type of decisions on where we are playing Palestine, and even Lebanon,” Arnold said. “Because of what is going on at the moment, it is quite scary.

“We are obviously not on top of everything going on in the security side of things in the Middle East, no doubt the government is more into that than we are – so give us some help. We need to be safe.”

No decision has been made on whether World Cup match between Lebanon and Palestine, scheduled for November 16, will go ahead.

European governing body Uefa postponed European Championship qualifying matches that were expected to be staged in Israel this month.