Iran urgently relocates its World Cup base from the USA to another country due to Middle East conflict
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Geopolitical tensions have forced dramatic changes to the logistics of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Details: According to CBS News, the Iranian national team has officially moved its training camp from the USA to Mexico.
President of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, announced that after a series of emergency meetings in Istanbul and a final webinar with the FIFA Secretary-General, the international federation has fully approved the request. Initially, Team Melli had planned to be based in Tucson, Arizona. However, due to uncertainty over the Middle East conflict and serious security concerns for the Iranian delegation, plans had to be changed at the last minute.
The new home for the Iranian squad will be the city of Tijuana, located right on the US border, just south of San Diego. The federation president emphasized that this move completely resolves potential visa issues and will allow the team to fly directly into the US for matches from Mexico.
Moreover, Tijuana’s proximity to Los Angeles will streamline logistics: during the group stage, Iran is set to play in California against New Zealand (June 15) and Belgium (June 21), before facing Egypt in Seattle (June 26).
Reminder: England head coach Thomas Tuchel has explained for the first time his decision to leave Chelsea’s star out of the World Cup squad.
