MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has agreed to allow the Iranian national football team to use her country as their base for the upcoming World Cup, claiming the United States was unwilling to host the squad overnight.
President Sheinbaum revealed that football’s global governing body, Fifa, approached her administration after Washington made it clear that it did not want the Iranian squad staying on US soil during the tournament due to severe geopolitical tensions.
“The United States does not want the Iranian team to stay overnight, but they are going to play three matches there,” Ms Sheinbaum said during a press conference. “So they asked us: ‘Can they stay overnight in Mexico?’ And we said: ‘Yes, no problem.’ We have no problem.”
Fifa later confirmed that Iran’s official tournament training base will be relocated to the Centro Xoloitzcuintle in Tijuana, Mexico—a city situated directly on the US-Mexico border.
A Logistical and Diplomatic Nightmare
The decision marks a dramatic shift in tournament logistics. Iran had originally been allocated Tucson, Arizona, as their base camp, with all three of their group-stage fixtures scheduled to take place in American cities.
However, the ongoing war in the Middle East and surrounding security concerns had thrown the country’s participation into deep uncertainty. Under the new arrangement, the team will look to commute across the border to honour their fixtures:
- 15 June: v New Zealand (Los Angeles, US)
- 21 June: v Belgium (Los Angeles, US)
- 26 June: v Egypt (Seattle, US)
The United States, Canada, and Mexico are jointly co-hosting the tournament. The BBC has contacted both the White House and Fifa for official comment on the geopolitical compromise.
The Revolutionary Guard Visa Row
Despite the accommodation in Mexico, significant hurdles remain regarding whether the entire Iranian contingent will be legally permitted to enter the US on matchdays.
Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, stated that Fifa’s leadership had given explicit assurances over travel documentation. “The Fifa president promised us that all our players would receive visas. There is no reason why our players should not receive visas,” he insisted.
The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) had previously presented Fifa with a list of 10 non-negotiable conditions for their participation. Chief among these demands is a guarantee that players, coaching staff, and delegation officials who have completed their mandatory national military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will not be barred from entry.
The US government classifies the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, creating a direct conflict with standard immigration laws.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that while Iran’s footballers are generally welcome at the tournament, any individual with proven, active links to the IRGC will face stringent entry restrictions.
Precedent for Rejection
The visa anxieties are well-founded. Before April’s annual Fifa Congress in Vancouver, FFIRI officials—including federation chief Mehdi Taj—were turned away at the Canadian border. Canada’s immigration minister later informed parliament that the visas had been revoked specifically due to illicit links to the IRGC.
With the tournament rapidly approaching, members of the Iranian squad, who are currently training in Antalya, southern Turkey, visited the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to formally submit their visa applications.
Whether the entire squad successfully receives clearance to cross the border from Tijuana to California on matchday remains one of the biggest flashpoints of the tournament.
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