Iran’s national football team will sleep in Mexico and travel to the US on the days of its three World Cup matches after Washington declined to host the squad for the tournament, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.
Sheinbaum said Fifa approached her government after US officials said they did not want Iran staying in the country throughout the competition, even though Iran is scheduled to play three Group G matches there.
The team will still play its group-stage matches in the US, but its training base has been moved from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico.
Iran’s football federation recently announced the move, which was formally confirmed by Fifa on Monday.
“We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico,” Sheinbaum told her daily press conference.
The decision comes amid the ongoing war in Iran, which began after joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
On Monday, the US said it had carried out “self-defence” strikes on Iran, despite President Donald Trump stating that negotiations between the two nations are “proceeding nicely”.
Teams use base camps to train before and after matches during the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19 and is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
The possibility of moving Iran’s base had been discussed for months because of uncertainty surrounding the conflict in the Middle East and wider security concerns.
US sanctions on Iran were also expected to complicate the team’s stay in America.
The US State Department said on Monday that Trump had made clear Iran’s team would be welcome to take part in the tournament, although it did not comment on where the squad would stay.
Sheinbaum said her government was continuing to work with Fifa to finalise arrangements ahead of the competition.
Iran’s football team is due to play matches in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 25 and Belgium six days later, before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
ITV News has contacted Fifa and the US Department of State for comment.
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