Mexico will serve as the base camp for Iran's national football team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after the United States declined to host the squad overnight on American soil. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Monday that FIFA had approached her government after the US said it did not wish to accommodate the Iranian team outside of match days. "The United States doesn't want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States," Sheinbaum told reporters. "We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico."
Iran's football federation had announced over the weekend that the team's training base was being relocated from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana — a Mexican border city situated just south of San Diego, California — with FIFA formally confirming the move on Monday as part of its release of all 48 base camp locations. The head of Iran's football federation, Mehdi Taj, said the switch was agreed after talks with FIFA officials in Istanbul and a video conference with FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström. The move also allows the team to travel directly to Mexico aboard Iran Air flights, bypassing US visa requirements for day-to-day logistics, though the squad will still need to enter the United States for its matches.
The backdrop to the arrangement is the ongoing war between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, which began on 28 February 2026. Roughly 3,468 people have been killed in Iran and more than 26,500 injured since hostilities began, and peace negotiations remain tense and inconclusive. The conflict has clouded Iran's World Cup participation from the outset, with visa processing suspended and the Trump administration sending contradictory signals — at times suggesting Iran should not participate, at others expressing indifference. The US State Department reiterated on Monday that President Donald Trump had made clear the Iranian team was welcome to take part in the tournament, but did not address the question of overnight accommodation or Sheinbaum's comments.
Iran, which ranks among the top sides in the Asian Football Confederation and is appearing at its fourth consecutive World Cup, is scheduled to play all three of its Group G matches on US soil: against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June, Belgium in Los Angeles on 21 June, and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, kicks off on 11 June and runs until 19 July, with 78 of its matches — including the final — taking place in the US.
The episode highlights the broader tensions surrounding this year's tournament. The Trump administration has suspended visa processing for nationals of nearly 75 countries, including several whose teams will compete in the World Cup, raising concerns about whether the US can fulfil its obligations as a welcoming host nation. Sheinbaum said her government was continuing to work with FIFA to finalise the remaining logistical details before the competition begins.