Iran Move World Cup Base to Mexico Amid U.S. Visa Concerns

Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj said today in an interview with Iranian news agency Fars that Iran’s training camp base during the World Cup will be relocated to Tijuana in Mexico.

Taj stated: “Since the visa issue could not be resolved, after meeting with FIFA officials, our request to move the national team’s World Cup base from the United States to Mexico was approved. Therefore, our headquarters will now be located in the Pacific coastal city of Tijuana, and we have already started building the camp there.”

The Iranian national team is currently preparing for the World Cup in Türkiye. Earlier this Wednesday, all members of the squad visited the U.S. Embassy in Türkiye to apply for visas. Given the current relationship between the two countries, the outcome of those applications is not considered optimistic.

Taj added that changing the team’s base would help avoid complications related to entry visas, as the squad would then be able to fly directly to Mexico on Iran Air flights.

Iran’s original planned base camp had been in Tucson, deeper inside the United States, while Tijuana is located on the Pacific coast along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to reports, Iran will only enter the United States during matchdays and leave immediately after each game.

Iran World Cup Group Stage Schedule
June 16 vs New Zealand national football team — Venue: Los Angeles
June 22 vs Belgium national football team — Venue: Los Angeles
June 27 vs Egypt national football team — Venue: Seattle