Iran's football federation announced on May 23 that FIFA approved their request to relocate their 2026 World Cup training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, near the US border [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Federation president Mehdi Taj said, "We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States" [1].
The change came as Iranian players and staff faced difficulties obtaining US visas less than a month before the tournament. Taj explained that after meetings with FIFA officials in Istanbul and a webinar with FIFA's secretary general, "our request to change the team's base from the United States to Mexico was approved" to avoid complications [2].
Tijuana’s proximity to their US match venues offers a logistical benefit. Taj noted the flight from Tijuana to Los Angeles is about 55 minutes, shorter than from Tucson [1]. The Iranian team will open Group G with games in Los Angeles against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, and finish against Egypt in Seattle on June 26 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12].
Iran prepared in Antalya, Turkey, where players and officials began submitting US visa applications, including for some who served in the banned IRGC, raising concerns about entry restrictions [2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11]. The Iran Football Federation submitted 10 conditions to FIFA related to participation and visa access [2, 3].
Despite the move, uncertainty remains about full US visa approvals. Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, Iran's deputy federation president, said, "We're not certain yet that all the players and staff will receive US visas, but we are very confident in FIFA’s protocols" [6]. Some Iranian officials had previously been denied Canadian visas over alleged IRGC links [2, 3, 11].
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed at the April 2026 FIFA Congress that Iran will participate in the tournament and play matches in the United States, stating, "Of course Iran will be participating at the Fifa World Cup 2026. And of course, Iran will play in the United States of America" [5, 11]. FIFA itself has not publicly confirmed the training base move [1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 12].
Iran is expected to enter the US through Mexico, potentially via Iran Air flights, which may simplify travel logistics [1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12]. The team’s training shift from Tucson to Tijuana followed concerns over the Middle East war and security uncertainties [2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12].
The World Cup begins June 11, 2026, in the US, Canada, and Mexico, with Iran preparing in Mexico until their first match June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles [1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12].
