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Iran will base their squad in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026 after the apex governing body approved a request to relocate the team's training camp from Arizona, the head of Iran's football federation said on Saturday.
In a video posted on the Iran Football Federation's (FFIRI) Telegram account, President Mehdi Taj said, "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 Tijuana is a more convenient base for Iran, with just a 55-minute flight to Los Angeles, making it closer to the team's match venues than their originally planned camp in Arizona. "The total distance between us and the venue of our games in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by flight," Taj said in the video. This comes after months of uncertainty surrounding Iran's travel and security arrangements for the World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Iran has qualified for the expanded 48-team tournament and is placed in Group G, alongside Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt. Their matches are slated to be held in Los Angeles and Seattle. Earlier this month, Canada denied entry to the FFIRI President Mehdi Taj ahead of the FIFA Congress, citing alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran's military, which it designated as a "terrorist group" in 2024. Afterwards, the FFIRI said the country's team will compete in the World Cup, saying, as quoted by Al Jazeera, "We will definitely participate in the 2026 World Cup, but the hosts must take our concerns into account. We will participate in the World Cup tournament, but without any retreat from our beliefs, culture, and convictions." Mehdi Taj, on May 9, said on state television on Friday that Tehran has placed 10 conditions for participating in the FIFA World Cup and is seeking guarantees regarding the treatment of the national team during the event, according to Al Jazeera. According to Taj, the demands included timely issuance of visas, respect for the national team's staff, flag and national anthem throughout the tournament, and enhanced security arrangements at airports, hotels and on routes leading to stadiums where Iran's matches will be held. Iran, earlier, had also requested that their matches be moved out of the US during tensions between US and Iran in the Middle-East. (ANI)
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