Iranian clubs will begin the new Asian season without playing a single continental home game in Iran. Tractor have chosen Oman, Gol Gohar will host their opponents in Tajikistan, while Esteghlal are still searching for a temporary home.
The Asian Football Confederation has ordered Iranian representatives in the 2026/27 continental competitions to stage their home fixtures outside the country amid security concerns and travel difficulties following the military escalation in the region. Iran challenged the decision, but its clubs have nevertheless been forced to find venues abroad.
Tractor and Esteghlal will compete in the AFC Champions League Elite, while Gol Gohar will play in the AFC Champions League Two.
Tractor lose Tabriz and move to Oman
Tractor have already solved their venue problem.
The Tabriz club will stage their home matches in Muscat. According to the published schedule, Tractor are due to host Qatar’s Al Shamal and Al Sadd, Uzbekistan’s Neftchi and the UAE’s Al Wasl in Oman.
The loss of home advantage is particularly significant for Tractor.
Following the draw, club CEO Hojjat Karimi said even Asia’s strongest teams would struggle to beat Tractor at Yadegar-e Emam Stadium with the backing of a huge crowd. He referred to attendances of between 80,000 and 110,000 and acknowledged that playing outside Tabriz makes Tractor’s Asian campaign considerably more difficult.
The club will now have to replace one of its biggest competitive advantages with a neutral environment in Muscat.
Esteghlal still looking for a home
Esteghlal’s situation is more complicated.
The Tehran club initially hoped to play in Basra. Iraq was an attractive option because of its proximity to Iran and the possibility of bringing a significant number of Esteghlal supporters across the border.
That plan did not materialise after the draw.
Iranian clubs also approached Uzbekistan over the possibility of staging matches there, Eurasia Football understands, but those contacts did not progress beyond preliminary discussions.
Qatar has since emerged as one of the possible options for Esteghlal — and that creates a separate sporting issue.
Both Esteghlal and Tractor were drawn against all three Qatari representatives in the West Region: Al Sadd, Al Gharafa and Al Shamal.
For Tractor, the issue has effectively disappeared after the club selected Oman. For Esteghlal, it remains unresolved.
If the Tehran side were allowed to use Qatar as their temporary home, some Qatari clubs could effectively play their nominal away games against Esteghlal in their own country.
A source familiar with the discussions told Eurasia Football:
“The question is whether the AFC will allow Iranian clubs to play in Qatar when they are facing all three Qatari teams. In that case, the Qatari clubs would gain an advantage because their away matches against the Iranian sides would effectively be played at home. How fair would that be?”
The source said the final decision rests with the AFC and depends on whether the confederation allows Iranian clubs to use countries represented by their direct opponents or insists on fully neutral territory.
“They have approached Tashkent and other places as well. The question is whether the AFC will allow them to play in Uzbekistan, Qatar or the UAE when clubs from those countries are among their opponents, or whether it will tell them to find a completely neutral country.”
Iranian media have mentioned Doha as a possible solution for Esteghlal, including Jassim bin Hamad Stadium — the home ground of Al Sadd.
That would make the issue particularly sensitive, as Al Sadd are themselves one of Esteghlal’s opponents.
Gol Gohar find a home in Tajikistan
Gol Gohar have already reached an agreement.
The Sirjan club will stage their AFC Champions League Two home matches in Tajikistan. They were drawn in Group B alongside Al Jazira of the UAE, Bahrain’s Al Muharraq and Turkmenistan champions Arkadag.
It will be Gol Gohar’s first season in Asian club competition.
Tajikistan was not initially the club’s first choice. Gol Gohar considered Iraq, Oman and Uzbekistan before eventually turning to Hisor.
Football Federation of Tajikistan secretary general Furkatzhon Akhmedjanov confirmed to Eurasia Football that the Iranian club submitted an official request.
“We have very close relations with our colleagues in Iran. Our federation is constantly in contact with them, we work together and organise friendly matches. We also cooperate and play within CAFA. When the official request arrived, I immediately said that if our stadium met AFC standards and all the requirements, we were ready to host their club,” Akhmedjanov said.
Gol Gohar will play at the stadium in Hisor, which has a hybrid pitch.
“They will play at the stadium in Hisor. It has a hybrid pitch that meets the requirements. Will the federation make money from this? No. The hotels and the training base are not on the federation’s balance sheet. But in any case, it is positive for us because regardless of who is playing or at what level, I believe this is a very good contribution to promoting football,” Akhmedjanov added.
The circumstances surrounding Gol Gohar’s first Asian campaign are unusual even beyond the venue issue.
The Iranian Football Federation initially registered the Sirjan club with the AFC. A domestic play-off involving Gol Gohar, Chadormalu and Persepolis was later organised to determine Iran’s representative.
Chadormalu won that mini-tournament, defeating Persepolis and then Gol Gohar on penalties.
However, Gol Gohar had already been formally entered with the AFC and attempts to replace them were unsuccessful.
Gol Gohar’s own management publicly acknowledged Chadormalu’s claim to the place and indicated that the club was prepared to step aside. Gol Gohar eventually agreed to participate after it became clear that withdrawing could put Iran’s continental berth at risk.
Their Asian debut will therefore begin in unusual circumstances: they enter the competition after a qualification dispute in which the club itself backed Chadormalu’s claim, while every nominal home match will be played outside Iran.
Central Asian clubs have already paid the price
The current situation has a significant Central Asian backstory.
In each of the previous two seasons, disputes over travelling to Iran directly affected clubs from the region.
In 2024, India’s Mohun Bagan refused to travel to Tabriz for an AFC Champions League Two match against Tractor, citing security concerns following a sharp escalation between Iran and Israel.
The AFC ruled that Mohun Bagan had withdrawn from the competition and annulled all of their results.
By that point, the Indian club had played only one match — a 0-0 home draw against Tajikistan’s Ravshan.
Once the result was erased, the Kulob club lost a point it had already earned on the pitch.
A year later, almost the same situation occurred again.
In September 2025, Mohun Bagan refused to travel to Isfahan to face Sepahan. The club again cited security concerns and sought to have the fixture moved to a neutral venue.
Before withdrawing, Mohun Bagan had already lost 1-0 at home to Turkmenistan’s Ahal.
When the AFC annulled the Indian club’s results, Ahal lost three points they had already won.
The second refusal brought much tougher sanctions. Mohun Bagan were suspended from the next AFC competition for which they qualified and ordered to pay fines and compensation totalling more than $100,000.
In 2026/27, that scenario cannot be repeated for one simple reason: none of Iran’s opponents will be required to travel to Iran.
This time, the consequences fall directly on the Iranian clubs.
Tractor lose the huge crowds of Tabriz and move to Oman. Gol Gohar will make their Asian debut with Hisor as their temporary home. Esteghlal are still searching for a venue.
And after the draw, the issue is no longer limited to security and logistics.
The AFC must now answer another question: how neutral can a neutral venue really be if it is located in the country of the team that is supposed to be playing away?