Iran's federation president Mehdi Taj has confirmed the team will set up their 2026 World Cup base camp in Tijuana, Mexico — not Arizona — after FIFA signed off on the switch. The reason is straightforward: US visas still hadn't been issued to players and staff less than a month before the tournament kicks off on June 11.
"We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States," Taj said in a video posted to the federation's Telegram account. He added that Iran Air flights can take the squad directly to Mexico, cutting out the visa complications entirely.
Tijuana actually makes logistical sense
Strip away the politics and the geography works. Tijuana sits 55 minutes by flight from Los Angeles, where Iran play their first two Group G matches — against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21. Taj noted that's closer to those venues than the original Arizona camp would have been. Their third group game, against Egypt, is in Seattle on June 26.
Iran have been dealing with travel and security uncertainty for months. The US-Mexico-Canada tournament format puts teams in an awkward spot when diplomatic relations are this strained, and Iran's situation has been the most complicated of any side. FIFA has been asked for formal guarantees covering visas, security, and the treatment of the Iranian delegation.
None of that is fully resolved. Moving the camp to Mexican soil removes one layer of the problem — players can at least train without waiting on a US consulate — but the moment they cross the border for matchday, the same questions apply.
Group G on paper is navigable. New Zealand are beatable, Egypt are winnable, and Belgium are the real test. But a national team spending the weeks before a World Cup managing visa logistics and camp relocations instead of pure preparation is not a team building momentum. Iran's group stage odds reflect a side capable of progress — whether the off-pitch chaos costs them points is the real question.
The World Cup runs June 11 to July 19. FIFA has yet to comment on the camp switch.
