May 23, 2026
Iran’s national football team’s players pose on the pitch before a friendly match between Iran and Costa Rica, in Antalya, southern Turkey, on March 31, 2026. FIFA’s president told AFP that Iran “will be at the World Cup” despite the Middle East war. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)
Iran are moving their World Cup training base to Mexico after football’s world governing body FIFA approved a request to transfer it from Tucson, Arizona, the head of Iran’s football federation said on Saturday.
The Iranian team will be based in Tijuana on the border of Mexico and the United States, federation president Mehdi Taj said in a video carried by the Fars news agency.
“Fortunately, thanks to the meetings we had with FIFA officials… our request to change countries from the United States to Mexico, due to problems encountered in obtaining visas, was accepted by FIFA,” Taj said.
