Iran’s national football team will establish its World Cup base in Mexico after the United States declined to accommodate them during the upcoming tournament. The decision came after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that FIFA had approached Mexico with the request, following the U.S. authorities’ refusal to allow the Iranian squad to stay overnight in the country, despite their group-stage games being scheduled on U.S. soil.
The Iranian team will now train in Tijuana, Mexico, a city near the U.S. border and in close proximity to San Diego, California. This change was officially noted by FIFA as they released the locations for team base camps for the duration of the World Cup. Initially, Iran had intended to set up their World Cup operations in Tucson, Arizona. However, ongoing tensions in the Middle East and complications related to U.S. sanctions on Iran reportedly disrupted these initial plans.
President Sheinbaum expressed that Mexico is fully prepared to host the Iranian team and is actively working with FIFA to iron out the logistical specifics before the tournament kicks off. The relocation to Tijuana is also expected to help the Iranian team sidestep potential visa complications, as pointed out by Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation. Taj mentioned that Iran Air flights would facilitate direct travel to Mexico for the team.
The U.S. State Department commented that Iran remains welcome to participate in the World Cup. However, they did not provide an explanation regarding the decision not to host the team within the United States during the event. This year’s FIFA World Cup will be a collaborative effort, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19.