President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government had agreed to the arrangement after football authorities sought Mexico’s help, making clear that Mexico saw no reason to deny the Iranian delegation a base during the competition. The decision moves Iran’s operating camp from Tucson, Arizona, to the border city of Tijuana, placing the team a short distance from California while avoiding an extended stay on US soil.
Iran remain scheduled to play all three Group G fixtures in the United States. They face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium at the same venue on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The plan means players, coaches and support staff will travel north from Mexico for each match before returning to their Mexican base.
FIFA has confirmed the revised base-camp arrangement as part of the final preparations for the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. The shift underlines how political tensions have intruded into the operational planning of a tournament designed to project North American unity and logistical scale.
Iran had initially been listed for a base in Tucson, where training facilities had been considered suitable for tournament preparation. That plan came under strain as diplomatic and security concerns deepened, particularly around visas, travel permissions and the broader state of US-Iran relations. Tijuana offers a practical compromise: close enough to California for match-day movement, but outside US jurisdiction for the team’s daily accommodation and training routines.
The arrangement also gives Mexico a sensitive role in managing one of the tournament’s more politically charged delegations. Sheinbaum has framed the decision in administrative and sporting terms, signalling that Mexico is prepared to separate tournament hosting obligations from the diplomatic disputes surrounding Iran. Mexican officials are expected to work with football authorities on transport, security, training access and border coordination.
For FIFA, the decision avoids a deeper sporting dispute less than three weeks before the opening match. Removing or replacing a qualified team would have carried legal, competitive and diplomatic consequences. Iran secured qualification on March 25, 2025, after a 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan, becoming one of Asia’s early qualifiers for the tournament. The team will enter Group G with a record of strong qualifying form and experience from multiple World Cup campaigns.
Washington has not publicly offered a detailed explanation for the accommodation refusal, while still allowing Iran to play scheduled matches in US stadiums. That distinction keeps the tournament framework intact but creates an unusual commute for a national team during football’s biggest competition. Cross-border travel on match days will require tight coordination around immigration checks, security clearances, transport timing and recovery schedules.
The logistics are likely to be watched closely by other delegations, tournament organisers and broadcasters. World Cup teams typically seek stable bases that minimise travel fatigue and disruption, particularly during the group stage, when preparation windows between games can be narrow. Iran’s first two fixtures in Los Angeles make Tijuana a workable base, but the Seattle match poses a longer journey and more complex scheduling.
The controversy also places additional focus on FIFA’s long-standing position that teams qualifying through sporting competition should be able to participate unless prevented by formal disciplinary or legal action. Iran’s presence has drawn political scrutiny before, including during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when domestic unrest and international pressure followed the team throughout the tournament.
Players will now face the dual challenge of preparing for elite competition while operating under exceptional travel conditions. The squad is led by coach Amir Ghalenoei, with established figures from Iran’s football system expected to shoulder responsibility in a group that includes higher-ranked Belgium and ambitious opponents in Egypt and New Zealand.
Tijuana’s selection may also bring additional attention to Mexico’s own World Cup role. The country is one of three co-hosts and will stage matches at venues including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Hosting Iran’s base camp gives Mexico another layer of involvement in the tournament beyond match operations, particularly as the issue touches diplomacy, border management and sporting governance.
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