Iran hosted a public farewell for the country's national football team as they prepare to depart for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in Enghelab Square in Tehran, Iran, on May 13. FIFA has allowed the team to make its World Cup base in Tijuana, Mexico, instead of Arizona. Photo by Behnam Tofighi/UPI | License Photo
May 23 (UPI) -- Iran's national soccer team will make its World Cup base in Tijuana, Mexico, instead of Arizona after FIFA approved its request, Iran's football federation said Saturday.
"We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States," Iran's Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said in a video on Telegram, Al Jazeera reported.
The Iranian squad has been unsure for months about its ability to travel to the United States for games. They are scheduled to play their first two games in Los Angeles, but will be able to fly from Iran directly to Mexico, and from Tijuana to Los Angeles easily, Taj said.
"The total distance between us and the venue of our games in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by flight," the team president said. He added that staying in Arizona would have been farther away.
