Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed her government would host the Iranian football team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the United States declined to allow them to stay there for the entire tournament. She said, "We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico," and added, "And we said yes, no problem. We have no issue with that" [1, 2].

The Iranian team was originally scheduled to base in Arizona, United States, where they were to play three group stage matches. Iran will face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26 [1, 3, 4].

FIFA turned to Mexico after the US government made clear it did not want the Iranian team to remain in the country throughout the tournament, despite Iran’s matches being held in US cities [1, 3, 5]. Iranian football federation head Mehdi Taj said the team would relocate from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, to avoid visa complications and enable direct flights on Iran Air. He stated, "The move would help avoid visa-related complications and that the squad would be able to travel directly to Mexico aboard Iran Air flights" [1, 3, 5].

The team will stay in Mexico and travel into the US only on matchdays. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, "Iran players will be welcome at the tournament but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions," referencing some Iranian officials who have faced visa cancellations due to alleged ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [3]. Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali said the FIFA president assured visas would be granted to all players, stating, "There is no reason why our players should not receive visas" [3].

The decision comes amid heightened tensions after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, igniting a war that has killed over 3,400 and injured more than 26,500 people in Iran. These geopolitical tensions have impacted Iran’s ability to participate freely in international events [6, 2, 7, 4]. Former US President Donald Trump said Iran’s squad was welcome in the World Cup but cautioned it was "not appropriate for Iranian team members to be in the US for their own life and safety" [4].

The White House and US State Department have not publicly commented on Mexico's hosting of the Iranian team [1, 3].

The 2026 World Cup is scheduled from June 11 to July 19, with Iran's first group match in Los Angeles against New Zealand on June 15.