Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that Mexico will host Iran’s World Cup team for its training base. This decision follows the relocation of the team’s base from the United States to Mexico for the summer soccer tournament.
While Iran will play its group stage matches in the U.S., the team’s training base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, located just south of San Diego, California. This relocation was recently announced by Iran’s soccer federation and confirmed by FIFA, the governing body of the sport, on Monday.
The move occurs in the context of ongoing conflict in Iran, initiated by the U.S. and Israel on February 28. President Sheinbaum mentioned during a Monday news conference that a FIFA representative informed her of the U.S.’s reluctance to host the Iranian team outside of match times on American soil.
“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum stated to reporters. She detailed that FIFA then inquired whether Mexico could accommodate the team. Her response: “Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that.”
Iran is scheduled to face New Zealand in Inglewood, California, on June 15 and Belgium six days later. The team will then play Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
Originally, prior to the conflict, the Iranian team planned to set up their base in Tucson, Arizona. However, due to escalating tensions, their base has now shifted to Tijuana, a decision confirmed by Sheinbaum following an announcement by the Iranian federation over the weekend. The federation highlighted FIFA’s approval, formalized on Monday when the list of all 48 base camp sites was published. Base camps serve as training locations before and after matches.
The World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, will run from June 11 to July 19. For months, speculation surrounded the Iranian team’s base due to uncertainties raised by the Middle East conflict and security issues. U.S. sanctions on Iran could further complicate prolonged stays in the U.S.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department released a statement affirming President Donald Trump’s welcome to the Iranian team for tournament participation. However, the statement did not comment on the team’s accommodation plans or Sheinbaum’s assertion.
Scheinbaum confirmed that her administration collaborates with FIFA to finalize details before the competition begins.
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