Iran Moves World Cup Training Base From Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico

Iran’s football federation president Mehdi Taj said on Saturday that Iran is moving its World Cup training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico after FIFA approved the request, with the change tied to visa problems encountered in the United States.

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Taj said in a video carried by the Fars news agency that “our request to change countries from the United States to Mexico, due to problems encountered in obtaining visas, was accepted by FIFA,” and he added that the team would be based in Tijuana near the Pacific Ocean.

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The move was described as a way to avoid complications related to visas, with Taj saying the squad could use Iran Air flights to travel directly to Mexico.

Iran’s Group G schedule, as laid out in the same reporting, has the team playing New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

Taj also said the distance for the two Los Angeles games would be “a 55-minute flight,” compared with the camp in Tucson, while the team was preparing in Antalya, southern Turkey.

The BBC reported that the switch “has yet to be confirmed by Fifa,” even as Taj said Iran would be based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

Taj told reporters that “All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved by Fifa,” and he linked the approval to meetings with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul and a webinar meeting in Tehran with FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström.

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The BBC also said Iran had been waiting for visas earlier this month, and it quoted Taj’s earlier comments that some members of the squad went to the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to submit visa applications for the tournament.

In the same BBC account, the Iranian FA (FFIRI) presented FIFA with “a list of 10 conditions for their participation,” including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to receive visas.

The BBC further tied the logistics to US entry restrictions, noting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran players would be welcome but that individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions.

Multiple outlets tied the base-camp relocation to Iran’s World Cup participation schedule, saying the tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 and that Iran’s first two Group G matches are in Los Angeles.

The Jerusalem Post said Taj stated, “We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States,” and it added that the move was meant to help avoid visa-related complications.

The Jerusalem Post also reported that Iran’s players and staff had yet to receive US visas, while Taj said the team could travel directly to Mexico aboard Iran Air flights.

CBS News described the new location as “just south of San Diego” and said the federation claimed the proximity to Inglewood would benefit the team, with the World Cup matches scheduled against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later in Group G.

CBS News also quoted Taj saying the team “may even be able to travel to and from Mexico using Iran Air flights,” framing the base move as a way to resolve potential visa issues by entering the US through Mexico.