Iran’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad will arrive early on Sunday, June 7, in Tijuana, Mexico, where it will be based during the tournament, the Iranian Football Federation announced on Tuesday.
The team is scheduled to arrive in Mexico at 1:30 am (0730 GMT) on Sunday and will depart for Tijuana on Saturday after a stop in Spain. Current coordination with FIFA ensures the national team can complete its journey despite players still awaiting Mexican and US visas ahead of the tournament.
Iran’s training base, originally set for Tucson, Arizona, was moved to Tijuana, Mexico, at the request of its football federation due to security concerns. The United States does not want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the US, so the team will travel into the United States only on matchdays.
Federation chief Mehdi Taj said on Iranian TV: “We will leave for Spain on Saturday, and from there the team will go directly to Tijuana in Mexico. We will obtain a Mexican visa Tuesday or the day after, and then a US visa will be issued quickly.”
With their first 2026 World Cup match less than two weeks away, Iran is expecting to receive visas to enter Mexico on Tuesday, followed by US visas on Friday. FIFA president Giani Infantino promised that all Iranian players would receive visas for the tournament.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the team was welcome in Mexico after US President Donald Trump said the team would be better off staying elsewhere “for their own life and safety.” The move was announced by the head of Iran’s football federation on Saturday and has now been given the green light by the Mexican government.
Tijuana is closer to Los Angeles, where Iran will play its first two group games against New Zealand and Belgium. Their last match will be against Egypt in Seattle. FIFA has not officially confirmed the base camp move but says it is confident Iran will be able to play in next month’s tournament despite the uncertainty.
Iran’s current World Cup squad includes goalkeepers Alireza Beiranvand, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, and Rashid Mazaheri. This marks Iran’s 7th appearance at the World Cup finals.
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