The president of the Iranian football federation announced on Saturday that the team's World Cup training base has been moved from the United States to Mexico, following approval from Fifa.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, said in a statement that the team will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego. The decision comes amid uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns. Officials at Tucson's Kino Sports Complex, where Iran had been scheduled to train, had no comment.
Iran play Group G games in Los Angeles against New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June, then face Egypt on 26 June in Seattle. The federation said moving the base camp will resolve potential visa issues, as the team will enter the US through Mexico. Taj added that the team 'may even be able to travel to and from Mexico using Iran Air flights'.
In March, after the US and Israel began joint airstrikes on Iran, it was reported that Fifa was unwilling to switch Iran's World Cup matches to Mexico. Donald Trump said at that time that the 'life and safety' of Iran's players could be at risk if they travel to the US. However, at last month's Fifa congress in Vancouver, president Gianni Infantino confirmed that Iran would play their World Cup games in the US as scheduled.
