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Saturday, May 23, 2026
Iran’s soccer federation says team’s World Cup base camp has been moved to Mexico from the US
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The president of the governing body of Iranian soccer says the nation’s World Cup training base has been moved to Mexico from the United States after getting approval from FIFA.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, announces the decision in a statement issued by the federation’s media relations official. FIFA has not confirmed the move.
Iran had been scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona, but a move has been a possibility because of uncertainty surrounding the US-Israeli war with Iran and security concerns. Officials at Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex had no comment.
The federation says the team will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California. This year’s World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved [by] FIFA,” Taj says in his statement. “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 plays Group G games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later, then faces Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
Iran’s federation says moving the base camp will resolve potential visa issues since the team will enter the US through Mexico. The president says that the team “may even be able to travel to and from Mexico using Iran Air flights.”
Teams use base camps for training ahead of and after matches.
The Times of Israel Community.