Iran FA has announced that the team will base their squad in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during this year’s World Cup after FIFA approved a request to move their training camp from Arizona.
Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj announced the decision Saturday, stating that following extensive negotiations with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as a webinar meeting with FIFA’s secretary general, the request to relocate the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was officially sanctioned.
The move marks the conclusion of months of uncertainty over Iran’s participation in the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Iran had originally been scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona, but the relocation had been under consideration for some time due to uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns.
Taj added that the switch would help avoid visa-related complications following the US-Israel war on Iran, and that the squad would be able to fly directly to Mexico using Iran Air.
Iranian officials had previously warned that players and staff had yet to receive US visas less than a month before the start of the tournament.
Despite the logistical reshuffling, Iran’s match schedule in the United States remains unchanged. Iran will play their Group G games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
Taj noted that the total flight time between Tijuana and their match venues in Los Angeles is just 55 minutes, making it actually closer to their games than their previously planned camp in Arizona.
Team Melli is appearing in its fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh overall, though the side has never advanced past the first round.
