PHOENIX — The head of the Iranian soccer governing body announced on Saturday that the country’s World Cup training base has been relocated from the United States to Mexico, following FIFA’s approval.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, made the announcement in a statement released by the federation’s media relations team. FIFA has yet to officially confirm the relocation.
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Iran was originally set to train in Tucson, but a change was considered due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and security issues. Officials from Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex declined to comment on the situation.
The federation confirmed that the team will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, located just south of San Diego. The World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Taj stated, “All team base camps for the World Cup participants must receive FIFA’s approval. Fortunately, after our requests and the discussions we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, along with our recent webinar in Tehran with the respected FIFA Secretary General, our request to relocate the team’s base from the U.S. to Mexico has been granted.”
Iran is scheduled to play its Group G matches in Inglewood, California, starting with a game against New Zealand on June 15, followed by a match against Belgium six days later, and concluding with a game against Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
Team Melli is competing in its fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh overall, though it has yet to advance beyond the group stage.
The federation highlighted that relocating the base camp will help mitigate potential visa complications, as the team will be entering the U.S. via Mexico. The president noted that the team “might even have the option to travel to and from Mexico using Iran Air flights.”
Base camps are utilized for training before and after matches.