MEXICO CITY — On Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her support for Mexico hosting Iran’s World Cup team after the squad’s training base was relocated from the United States to Mexico for the upcoming summer competition.
Although the team will still compete in its World Cup matches in the U.S., its training camp will now be situated in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, as announced by Iran’s soccer federation.
This decision comes amid the ongoing conflict in Iran, which escalated following the U.S. and Israel’s actions that began on February 28.
At a press conference, Sheinbaum mentioned that a FIFA representative indicated that the U.S. was hesitant to allow the Iranian team to remain overnight on American soil.
“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum told the media. She added that the FIFA representative subsequently inquired, “Can they stay overnight in Mexico?”
“To which we responded, ‘Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that,'” she confirmed.
Iran’s soccer team is scheduled to face New Zealand in Inglewood, California, on June 15, followed by a match against Belgium six days later, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Initially, prior to the outbreak of war, the team had planned to establish its training base in Tucson, Arizona. However, due to escalating tensions, they opted to relocate to Tijuana, as confirmed by Sheinbaum following the Iranian federation’s announcement over the weekend.
FIFA later confirmed the relocation of the Iranian federation and its players and staff on Monday.
Teams typically utilize these base camps for training in the lead-up to and following matches. The current World Cup is set to take place from June 11 to July 19, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The potential for this move has been looming for months amid uncertainties related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and associated security concerns. U.S. sanctions against Iran are expected to complicate the team’s stay in the United States even more.
The U.S. State Department issued a statement on Monday affirming that President Donald Trump had made it clear that the Iranian team was welcome to participate in the tournament.
The statement, however, did not address the team’s accommodation or respond to Sheinbaum’s remarks.
Sheinbaum stated that her government is collaborating with FIFA to finalize all necessary arrangements prior to the tournament.
Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.