Mexico hosts Iran team for World Cup after US refusal
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government has agreed to allow Iran’s national football team to stay in Mexico during the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the United States declined to host the squad throughout the tournament, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Sheinbaum said FIFA approached Mexico after U.S. authorities reportedly refused to let the Iranian team remain in the country between matches.
“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum told reporters.
She added that a FIFA representative later contacted her administration asking: “Can they stay overnight in Mexico?” According to Sheinbaum, Mexico responded: “Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that.”
Iran’s football federation earlier announced that the team’s training base had been moved from Tucson, Arizona, to the Mexican border city of Tijuana, south of San Diego. FIFA officially confirmed the relocation on Monday as it released the list of base camp sites for all 48 participating teams.
The Iranian squad will continue to play all three of its group-stage matches in the United States during the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
The decision comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
According to Mehdi Taj, head of Iran’s football federation, the move to Tijuana will help the team avoid visa-related complications linked to U.S. sanctions on Iran. Taj also said the relocation would allow the team to travel directly to Mexico aboard Iran Air flights.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the United States had launched what it described as “self-defence strikes” on targets in southern Iran, as senior Iranian officials arrived in Qatar for negotiations aimed at securing a broader peace agreement with Washington.
