Decision comes after Fifa refused to move Iran’s matches from the US despite tensions between both countries
The Iran team will be based in Mexico rather than the US during the 2026 World Cup after securing Fifa’s approval to relocate their training camp.
The president of the country’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, said Iran’s original base in Tucson, Arizona, has been switched to Tijuana, close to the US border south of San Diego. Fifa has yet to confirm the change publicly.
Iran had been due to use Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex as their tournament base but their political clash with the US ruled that out as a possibility. The federation also said the move would help avoid potential visa complications by allowing the squad to enter the US from Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, runs from 11 June to 19 July. Iran are scheduled to play Group G matches against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June, Belgium six days later at the same venue, before facing Egypt in Seattle.
The relocation follows months of speculation over Iran’s participation at the tournament. Both Fifa and Iran eventually confirmed the Middle Eastern country would feature but Fifa was reluctant to move their matches from the US despite tensions between both countries.
At last month’s Fifa congress in Vancouver, the governing body’s president Gianni Infantino reiterated that Iran would play their fixtures in the US as planned.
Confirming the base switch, 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 US to Mexico was approved.”
