Iranian media, citing Mehdi Taj, president of the Islamic Republic’s Football Federation, reported that the Iranian national football team’s residence and training camp for the 2026 World Cup have been moved from the United States to Mexico. According to informed sources who spoke to IranWire, the decision was pursued quietly over recent weeks in coordination with security agencies, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), leaving even some federation managers and members of the football team unaware.
IranWire sources say the main reason behind the move is neither technical nor simply related to visa issues. Instead, they say it is an attempt to keep the team away from mass gatherings of Iranian dissidents opposed to the Islamic Republic in the cities chosen for the team’s stay and training. In recent months, Islamic Republic security agencies and some football federation managers had expressed serious concern over the possibility of large protests by Iranian activists and expatriates living in the United States outside the team’s camp on American soil.
Taj announced that FIFA had approved the transfer of Iran’s camp from Tucson, Arizona, to the border city of Tijuana in Mexico. He said the decision was finalized after talks with FIFA officials in Istanbul and a later online meeting with the FIFA Secretary-General. However, FIFA has not yet issued an independent official statement on the relocation, and most international media outlets have reported the news only “as reported by Mehdi Taj.”
