Mexico will play host to Iran’s national football team during the upcoming FIFA World Cup, following reports that the United States declined to accommodate the team during the event. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that FIFA had requested Mexico’s assistance after American authorities refused to host the Iranian squad overnight, despite Iran’s group-stage matches still being scheduled to take place in the United States.
The Iranian team will now set up their training camp in Tijuana, Mexico, which is conveniently located near the US border and close to San Diego, California. This relocation was confirmed by FIFA as they released the official list of team base camp locations for the tournament. Originally, Iran had planned to base themselves in Tucson, Arizona, before escalating tensions in the Middle East and issues related to US sanctions on Iran complicated those plans.
President Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico is prepared to accommodate the Iranian team and is actively working with FIFA to sort out the necessary logistical arrangements ahead of the World Cup. Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iran Football Federation, noted that the shift to Tijuana would also help the team sidestep potential visa-related challenges and mentioned that Iran Air flights would directly facilitate their travel to Mexico.
While the US State Department confirmed that Iran is still welcome to participate in the World Cup, it did not provide any reasons for why the team would not be hosted on US soil during the event. The World Cup, set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will take place from June 11 to July 19.