The Iranian football federation has announced that its World Cup training base has been moved from the United States to Mexico, following approval from Fifa. President of the Iran Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, confirmed the decision in a statement on Saturday, though Fifa has not yet officially confirmed the move.
Iran had originally been scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona, but concerns over the war in the Middle East and security issues prompted a potential relocation. Officials at Tucson's Kino Sports Complex declined to comment when approached by the Associated Press. The federation now states that the team will be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego.
“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved [by] FIFA,” Taj said. “Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with Fifa and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had yesterday in Tehran with the respected Fifa secretary general, our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.”
Iran are set to play their Group G matches in Los Angeles against New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June, before facing Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. The team are appearing in their fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh overall, but have never progressed beyond the first round. The federation believes the move will resolve potential visa issues, as the team will enter the US via Mexico, and may even be able to use Iran Air flights for travel.
In March, following joint US-Israel airstrikes on Iran, Fifa was reportedly unwilling to switch Iran's matches to Mexico. US President Donald Trump had warned that the “life and safety” of Iran's players could be at risk if they travelled 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, stating: “Let me start at the outset by confirming straight away... that of course Iran will be participating at the Fifa World Cup 2026. And of course, Iran will play in the United States of America. The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together.”
