The Costa Rica national football team will play its second friendly match under coach Fernando Batista against Iran on March 31 at the Mardan Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Costa Rica time.
This match is seen as an opportunity for Batista to make changes and test different players he called up for the FIFA international window in March. Iran is considered a stronger opponent compared to Jordan, which Costa Rica faced previously.
Fans can watch the game live on Repretel (Channel 6) and Teletica (Channel 7). Coverage will also be available online with pre-game analysis, live updates during the match, and a full recap after the final whistle on nacion.com. Radio broadcasts will be provided by Columbia (98.7 FM), Teletica Radio (91.5 FM), and Monumental (93.5 FM).
Goalkeeper Patrick Sequeira is expected to start again for Costa Rica. Other players called up include goalkeepers Kevin Chamorro and Abraham Madriz; defenders Jeyland Mitchell, Guillermo Villalobos, Juan Pablo Vargas, Aarón Salazar, Haxzel Quirós, Gerald Taylor, Darril Araya, Jorkaeff Azofeifa, and Fernán Faerron; midfielders Orlando Galo, Douglas López, Jefferson Brenes, Carlos Mora, and Creichel Pérez; as well as forwards Jewison Bennette, Álvaro Zamora, Josimar Alcócer, Andrey Soto, Warren Madrigal, and Andy Rojas.
Iran has become a regular participant in recent World Cups and will compete in its seventh tournament soon—its fourth consecutive appearance since Brazil 2014. The team first played at the World Cup in Argentina in 1978 before returning for France 1998 and Germany 2006. Currently ranked twenty-first by FIFA globally with two wins and three losses from their last five matches,
the Iranian squad features Mehdi Taremi of Olympiacos as its main attacking threat after scoring recently against Nigeria.
