Returning head coach Carlos Queiroz said on Thursday he is relishing the chance to face England when he leads Iran into the World Cup finals campaign.

Team Melli begin their Qatar 2022 campaign against The Three Lions on November 21 and will also play Wales and round off their Group B games with the high-octane clash against the United States.

“Thanks God we are playing against England. We like to play against the best teams in the world. England is one of the best teams in Europe. Iran is one of the best teams in Asia, and so that’s why we are here,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a training session of the national team in Tehran.

“Premier League it is all about progress and quality every single year. Of course we are going to play against some of the best players in the world, but we are going to be ready for that,” the former Real Madrid coach added.

The 69-year-old Queiroz — who was an assistant coach to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United on two occasions—was officially appointed last Wednesday.

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