Sputnik - After upsetting Uzbekistan 2-0 in the second round of qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Iran climbed to the top of its Asian Confederation group, winning a ticket to next year�s football extravaganza.


Interviewed by�Sputnik, football fans from�across Iran said how happy and proud they feel about�their team. They also said that no Western threats would prevent them from�coming to�Russia to�root for�their national squad.


They said that Russia fully deserves the honor of�hosting football�s premier event, that sport and politics are entirely different things, and that they are sure that Russia will provide maximum security guarantees for�both the participants and guests of the 2018 World Cup.

Pouria from�Lorestan: �I�m happy that the Iranian team will be going to�the 2018 World Cup in�Russia, which is our neighbor. I�m sure to�go there to�support our national squad. I�m not afraid of�going to�Moscow or any other city in�Russia.�

Manila from�Tehran: �Of course I�m happy that our team is going to�play at�the 2018 World Cup. It�s a great honor for�all of�us here in�Iran. I�m not afraid of�going to�Russia, I�ve been there before. I have no jitters about�the Russian people�s mentality, foreign tourists are safe there. On the contrary, I will be happy to�come over�and root for�our team.�

Ali from�Ramsar: �As an Iranian, I�m glad that our footballers are going to�play at�the world championship. I�m also glad that the World Cup will be held in�Russia, which is just a 3.5-hour flight from�here. If I have the chance, I�d be happy to�come to�Russia to�support our team.�

Despite all Western attempts to�badmouth next year�s World Cup in�Russia, Iranian fans are foursquare behind�it, Abbas Ismail Beigi, leader of�the Persepolis football club�s fan smovement, told Sputnik Persian.

�We just can�t wait to�go to�Russia. Iranian fans never listen to�the lies some countries are telling [about the 2018 World Cup in�Russia]. The only thing that bothers us is the high cost of�our stay in�Russia. Still, with�the financial support we�ve been getting from�the� Football Federation of�the Islamic Republic of�Iran and special offers from�Russia, we hope that many Iranians will be able to�come to�Russia,� Abbas Ismail Beigi said.
�We have a short message to�those who are demonizing Russia: if you don�t go to�the World Cup, Iranian fans will fill up�all the stadiums there are in�Russia,� he added.


The BBC documentary �Russia�s Hooligan Army� aired in�February; it falsified information to�assert that Russian football fans plan to�stir up�trouble for�English supporters during�the 2018 World Cup in�Russia.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held across�venues in�over 10 Russian cities in�June and July 2018.