Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government had no objection after FIFA asked whether Iran’s squad could be based in Mexico and cross the border for their three US fixtures
Iran‘s participation at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been effectively confirmed after it emerged the squad will base themselves in Tijuana for the duration of the tournament, crossing into the US only to play their three group stage fixtures.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the arrangement on 25 May, revealing FIFA had approached her government after Washington made clear it did not want the Iranian squad staying on American soil throughout the competition, despite all three of Iran’s group games being scheduled in the US.
“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum told reporters at her daily press conference. “So they asked us: ‘Can they stay overnight in Mexico?’ And we said: ‘Yes, no problem.’”
FIFA formally confirmed the move when it published the full list of base camp sites for all 48 competing nations. Iran will train at the Centro Xoloitzcuintle facility in Tijuana – home to Liga MX side Club Tijuana – having originally been assigned Tucson in Arizona as their base.
The Tijuana solution
The choice of Tijuana – which sits directly on the US-Mexico border just south of San Diego – keeps Iran’s travel time to their match venues in Los Angeles to a minimum while ensuring the squad remains outside American jurisdiction for the bulk of the tournament.
Mehdi Taj, President of Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI), confirmed the move over the weekend, adding that it would allow the national team to fly directly to Mexico on Iran Air – avoiding the logistical and legal complications that a prolonged stay in the US would have entailed.
Iran is scheduled to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June, Belgium in Los Angeles on 21 June, and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June – meaning the squad will make three crossings into the US for matchdays before returning to Mexican territory each time.
Should Iran progress to the knockout phases of the tournament, these crossings will all but surely rise the deeper the team goes in the tournament.
Visa issues could still remain
The cross-border arrangement does not fully resolve the visa question that has clouded Iran’s World Cup preparations for months.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated Iran’s players will be welcome at the tournament, but cautioned individuals with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could face entry restrictions.
FFIRI President Taj himself was turned away at the Canadian border ahead of April’s FIFA Congress in Vancouver, with Canada’s immigration minister confirming his visa was cancelled over IRGC links.
Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said FIFA President Gianni Infantino had given assurances that the full squad would receive visas to enter the United States for their matches.
“The FIFA president promised us that all our players would receive visas. There is no reason why our players should not receive visas,” he said. Some squad members have already submitted visa applications at the US embassy in Ankara.
FFIRI had presented FIFA with a list of ten conditions for its participation at the tournament, among them guarantees players and officials who have completed military service with the IRGC would not be barred from entry.
It could be, then, only a selection of the Iranian delegation are permitted entry from Mexico to the US on matchdays, though the exact details may only become clear at the start of the tournament.
