The president of the Iranian football federation announced on Saturday that FIFA has approved the team's relocation of its World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico. Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, confirmed the move in a statement, though FIFA has not yet publicly corroborated the change.
Iran had originally planned to train in Tucson, Arizona, but the shift had been under consideration due to security concerns linked to the war in the Middle East. Officials at Tucson's Kino Sports Complex declined to comment when approached by the Associated Press.
The team will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego. Iran are scheduled to play their Group G matches in the US: against New Zealand on 15 June in Los Angeles, Belgium on 21 June also in Los Angeles, and Egypt on 26 June in Seattle. The federation noted that moving the base camp would resolve potential visa issues, as the team will enter the US from Mexico, and may even be able to use Iran Air flights for travel.
In March, following joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, it was reported that FIFA was reluctant to move Iran's matches out of the US. Donald Trump had warned that the players' safety could be at risk. However, at last month's FIFA congress in Vancouver, president Gianni Infantino reaffirmed that Iran would play their World Cup matches in the US as scheduled, stating, 'The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite.'
