Mexico has agreed to host Iran’s national football team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the United States declined to allow the squad to stay in the country, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.
Sheinbaum told reporters that FIFA approached the Mexican government after U.S. authorities said they did not want Iran’s team based in the United States for the duration of the tournament. Iran is scheduled to play all three of its Group G matches in U.S. cities.
“We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference. “The United States doesn’t want the Iranian team to spend the night. So they asked us, ‘can we stay the night in Mexico?’ We said sure, no problem.”
Under the arrangement, Iran’s players will be based in Tijuana on the Mexican side of the border and commute to the U.S. on match days. The team is set to face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, confirmed on Saturday that FIFA had approved the move from the team’s original base in Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana. He said the relocation would help avoid visa complications and allow direct Iran Air flights to Mexico.
Iran’s participation in the tournament had been in doubt since late February, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, escalating tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. and Iran have had no diplomatic relations since 1980.
