Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Monday that Iran’s national soccer team will establish their base in Mexico and make daily trips to the United States for their World Cup matches, following Washington’s decision not to accommodate the squad during the tournament.
According to Sheinbaum, FIFA contacted her administration after American officials indicated they preferred Iran not remain in the country for the duration of the June 11-July 19 competition, despite Iran being slated to compete in three Group G games on US soil.
“We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico,” Sheinbaum stated during her daily press briefing.
Iran’s schedule includes matches against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Neither the White House nor the State Department provided immediate responses to requests for comment.
In March, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that while Iran was welcome to participate in the World Cup, he felt it wasn’t suitable for Iran’s team to remain in the United States “for their own life and safety.”
On Saturday, Mehdi Taj, who leads Iran’s football federation, announced the team’s headquarters would relocate from Arizona to Tijuana, the Mexican border city, for the duration of the tournament. FIFA validated this change on Monday.
Taj explained that this relocation would help prevent visa complications and enable direct Iran Air flights to Mexico.
Iran’s World Cup participation has faced examination since late February, when the United States participated alongside Israel in strikes against Iran, sparking a conflict that created uncertainty about whether Tehran would deploy its team to compete in one of the host nations.
In March, Taj revealed Iran was discussing with FIFA the possibility of relocating its group matches to Mexico for security reasons, with Sheinbaum indicating Mexico’s willingness to host them. FIFA maintained the original schedule.
This situation sparked broader questions about Iran’s tournament participation. In April, Trump’s envoy for global partnerships, Paolo Zampolli, proposed Italy as Iran’s replacement, which drew dismissive reactions from Italian officials and FIFA.
Iran secured its fourth straight World Cup berth by finishing first in its group during the third round of Asian qualifying last year.
