Iran Will Play World Cup Games in US, but Team Has to Stay in Mexico

Mexico has agreed to host Iran‘s World Cup squad during the tournament after the United States declined to accommodate the team for the duration of the competition, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.

FIFA approached Mexico’s government after the U.S. rejected the arrangement, Sheinbaum said during her daily press briefing. Iran will play all three of its Group G matches on American soil yet base its operations across the border in Mexico.

"The United States doesn't want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States," Sheinbaum told reporters. She said a FIFA representative had then asked, "Can they stay overnight in Mexico?"

"And we said, ‘Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that’," she said. “We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico.”

Newsweek reached out to the White House and State Department on Monday for comment.

Iran’s World Cup Base Camp Relocates From Arizona to Tijuana

Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, announced Saturday that the team’s training base would relocate from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, a border city in Baja California. He cited visa complications and security concerns stemming from the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran that began on February 28.

“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.

Taj said the move would allow the squad to avoid visa complications and travel directly to Mexico using Iran Air flights. The distance from Tijuana to Los Angeles, where Iran will play two group matches, is roughly 55 minutes by flight, he added.

Iran’s World Cup Visa and Security Issues Timeline

Iran’s participation had been uncertain for months. The country’s football federation initially requested that FIFA move Iran’s matches from the United States to Mexico, citing security assurances. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in April that Iran would compete as scheduled and play in the U.S., emphasizing the need for unity.

Iranian officials said this month that players and staff had not yet received U.S. visas, less than four weeks before the start of the tournament. The visa applications were submitted during the team’s pre-tournament training camp in Turkey.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in March that Iran was welcome to participate but suggested it might not be appropriate for the team to play in the country “for their own life and safety.”

Iran’s 2026 World Cup Match Schedule and Venues

In group play, Iran will face New Zealand on June 15 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, followed by Belgium on June 21 at the same venue. It will play Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Iranian team is appearing in its fourth consecutive World Cup. It has never advanced past the group stage.

Visa Restrictions and Other Teams Facing World Cup Entry Problems

Iran is not alone in facing visa complications for the World Cup. The U.S. has placed 39 countries under visa restrictions and introduced a $15,000 visa bond requirement for fans from 50 nations. While the State Department waived the bond requirement for eligible supporters from Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia holding official World Cup match tickets and enrolled in FIFA PASS before April 15, the restrictions remain in effect for Haiti and Iran, which are subject to full travel bans.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces perhaps the most severe restrictions. The United States suspended visa issuance to DRC nationals because of the Ebola outbreak. The U.S. banned non-Americans who have been in the DRC, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days from visiting the country.

However, the U.S. confirmed that the DRC team will be allowed to enter the country to play in the World Cup, an exemption to the Ebola-related entry ban.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 2:11 PM.