Iran switch World Cup base camp to Tijuana after FIFA approval

Iran have shifted their FIFA World Cup 2026 training base from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, a late operational change intended to protect tournament preparation amid concerns around visas, security and travel reliability.The Iranian federation said the move had been approved by FIFA and will allow the team to operate from a Mexican border city while still playing two group matches in Los Angeles and a third in Seattle.Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, said: “All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved by FIFA. "Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had in Tehran with the respected FIFA secretary general, our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.”The change comes less than three weeks before the tournament begins in Mexico City on June 11 and is a reminder that operational planning for the first 48-team World Cup includes political and immigration risk, not only sporting readiness.Taj said the location is also a logistics play, with travel time a key driver for matchday routines and recovery and added: “The total distance between us and the venue of our games in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by flight.”Iran are scheduled to play New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26, meaning the group stage requires a significant shift up the West Coast even with a border base.The Iranian federation has been seeking clarity on how its delegation will be handled across the three host countries, with a particular focus on visa processing and matchday movement.The base camp switch also provides a practical workaround if US entry processes become slower than expected, since the squad can stage in Mexico and enter the US for fixtures rather than setting up permanently on American soil.Iran’s wider operational plan has also included training outside North America ahead of travel, designed to keep preparation stable while administrative issues are resolved.The Tijuana decision underlines how base camps have become strategic assets for national teams, combining training, recovery, security protocols, media handling and travel planning into one controlled environment.FIFA has positioned the 2026 World Cup as a multi-country event built on seamless cross-border delivery, and Iran’s move will be watched closely as an early test of how teams manage compliance and logistics when geopolitics intersects with tournament operations.