Iran switches World Cup base from US to Mexico

Iran’s football federation says Fifa has approved a request to move the country’s World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico ahead of next month’s tournament.

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The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, said the team would now be based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana instead of Tucson.

Fifa has not yet publicly confirmed the change.

Iran had originally been assigned a base camp in Arizona for the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. However, uncertainty linked to the conflict in the Middle East and related security concerns prompted discussions over relocating the team’s preparations.

Tournament schedule

Iran are due to begin their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June before facing Belgium in the same city six days later. Their final group match is scheduled against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Speaking about the move, Taj said the federation had held talks with Fifa and World Cup officials in Istanbul and also took part in an online meeting from Tehran with Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.

He said the request to relocate the camp to Mexico had been accepted and added that Tijuana’s location offered shorter travel times to match venues.

According to Taj, flights from Tijuana to Los Angeles would take less than an hour, making logistics easier compared with the original Arizona base.

Iran’s squad are currently training in Antalya ahead of the tournament, which begins on 11 June.

Visa concerns remain

The preparations have also been affected by visa issues involving Iranian players and officials.

Earlier this month, Taj said members of the national team were still waiting to receive visas to enter the United States for the competition.

The Iranian federation has reportedly submitted a list of conditions to Fifa regarding participation in the tournament. These include requests for visas to be granted to players, coaches and officials who previously completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iranian players would be welcomed at the World Cup, although individuals linked to the IRGC could face restrictions on entry.

In April, Taj and several other Iranian football officials were denied entry into Canada ahead of Fifa’s annual congress in Vancouver. Canada’s immigration minister later said Taj’s visa had been cancelled because of alleged links to the IRGC.

Some members of Iran’s squad travelled to the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to submit visa applications for the tournament.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 25 May 2026