The president of the Iranian FA says Fifa has approved the country’s 2026 FIFA World Cup training base being switched from the United States to Mexico.
Mehdi Taj said Iran will now be based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, although the change has yet to be confirmed by Fifa.
Iran were given Tucson, Arizona as their World Cup base but the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns has led to uncertainty around their participation.
The tournament is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June – both in Los Angeles – and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.
“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved by Fifa,” Taj said.
“Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with Fifa and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had on Friday in Tehran with the respected Fifa secretary general [Swede Mattias Grafstrom], our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.
“We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States.”
He added that Tijuana was closer to the cities where Iran will play than the camp in Arizona.
“The distance for us in the two games that we have in LA will be a 55-minute flight, which is a lot less compared to Tucson,” he said.
Iran are currently preparing for the tournment in Antalya, southern Turkey.
“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved [by] FIFA,” Taj said in his statement. “Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had yesterday in Tehran with the respected FIFA secretary general, our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.”
Iran plays Group G games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later, then faces Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
Team Melli is appearing in its fourth straight World Cup and seventh overall. It has never advanced past the first round.
Iran’s federation said moving the base camp will resolve potential visa issues since the team will enter the U.S. through Mexico. The president said that the team “may even be able to travel to and from Mexico using Iran Air flights.”
Teams use base camps for training ahead of and after matches.
Earlier this month, Taj said that Iran players were still waiting to be issued with visas for the tournament, which begins on 11 June.
The Iranian FA (FFIRI) has presented Fifa with a list of 10 conditions for their participation at the World Cup, including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to receive visas.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Iran players will be welcome at the tournament but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions.
Taj was one of a number of FFIRI officials turned away at the Canadian border ahead of April’s Fifa annual congress in Vancouver with Canada’s immigration minister telling parliament that his visa was cancelled because of links to the IRGC.
Some members of the squad went to the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to submit visa applications for the tournament.
