Mexico Hosts Iran’s World Cup Team Amid U.S. Restrictions

Mexico will host Iran’s World Cup team during the tournament after the United States declined to provide accommodations for the team. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced this on Monday, revealing that FIFA approached Mexico following the U.S.’s rejection of the arrangement.

FIFA’s Approach to Mexico

During her daily press briefing, Sheinbaum mentioned that Iran will play all its Group G matches in the U.S., but will have its base operations in Mexico. She stated, “The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States.” Following discussions with FIFA representatives, Mexico agreed to host the Iranian team. “We have no issue with that,” Sheinbaum affirmed.

Relocation of Iran’s Base Camp

“We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States,” – Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation.

Mehdi Taj announced on Saturday that Iran’s training base would move from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana in Baja California due to visa issues and security concerns related to the ongoing U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran. The decision allows the team to avoid visa complications and facilitates travel to Mexico using Iran Air flights. Tijuana is approximately 55 minutes by flight from Los Angeles, where Iran will play two group matches.

Iran’s Visa and Security Challenges

Iran’s participation in the tournament had faced uncertainty. The Iranian football federation initially requested a shift of matches to Mexico for security reasons. FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed Iran’s matches would continue as planned in the U.S. Despite this, by early May, Iran’s team had not received the necessary U.S. visas, a situation compounded by U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning about potential safety issues for the team.

World Cup Match Schedule for Iran

Iran will face New Zealand on June 15 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Belgium on June 21 at the same venue. The team will then play Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19 across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Iran aims to progress past the group stage for the first time in its fourth consecutive World Cup appearance.

Visa Restrictions Affecting Other Teams

Iran is not alone in grappling with visa difficulties for the World Cup. The U.S. has imposed visa restrictions on 39 countries and a $15,000 visa bond for fans from 50 nations. Despite waivers for supporters from several countries, restrictions persist for Iran and Haiti. Particularly impacted is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), facing severe restrictions due to an Ebola outbreak. However, U.S. authorities will allow the DRC team entry as an exception to this ban, ensuring their participation.