Mexico To Host Iran During FIFA World Cup Amidst US Visa Curbs: 'Don't Want Iranian...'

Last Updated:May 25, 2026, 22:05 IST

Mexico to host Iran FIFA World Cup base, Claudia Sheinbaum backs plan to avoid US visa problems as team shuttles to matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Co-host Mexico will permit the Iranian team to be based in the nation during the upcoming FIFA World Cup so that its footballers can avoid United States visa restrictions, President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.

Iran, which is scheduled to play three first-round games in stadiums across the United States, announced on Saturday, May 23, that FIFA had approved its plan to stay overnight on the Mexican side of the border to avoid visa-related complications.

Uncertainty has surrounded the participation of Iran ever since the United States and Israel launched an offensive against the Islamic Republic in late February.

The team had planned to set up camp in Tucson, in the US state of Arizona.

“The United States does not want the Iranian team to spend the night. So they asked us, ‘Can we stay the night in Mexico? We said sure, no problem," Sheinbaum said while speaking to the media.

Iran have selected the northwestern border state of Tijuana as their base, where they will recover between two games in Los Angeles and a third match in Seattle.

The players are placed in Group G and will open their campaign on June 15 against New Zealand. Sheinbaum said that Mexican authorities are coordinating the arrangements for the Iranian team’s stay with FIFA.

Iran and the United States severed diplomatic relations in 1980 after the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran, where militants held American diplomats hostage for more than a year.

Iran national football team federation president Mehdi Taj said that the arrangement would help avoid visa-related problems after the conflict between the United States and Israel and added that the team would be able to travel to Mexico using Iran Air.

“The ⁠total distance between us and the venue of our games in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by flight," Taj said.

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