The president of the Iranian Football Federation (FA), Mehdi Taj, recently announced that FIFA has approved the relocation of Iran's World Cup training base from the United States to Mexico. This move is yet to be confirmed by FIFA officially.
Iran was initially assigned Tucson, Arizona as their World Cup base. However, due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and associated security , there has been uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament. These factors have led to a decision being made about switching their base.
Taj stated that Iran will now be based in Tijuana, a city on Mexico's border. He added that this location is closer to Los Angeles and Seattle - cities where Iran is scheduled for matches against New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June respectively - than Tucson was.
Iranian Football Federation President, Mehdi Taj, said:
"All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved by Fifa. Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with Fifa and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had on Friday in Tehran with the respected Fifa secretary general [Swede Mattias Grafstrom], our request to change the team's base from the United States to Mexico was approved.
"We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States. The distance for us in the two games that we have in LA will be a 55-minute flight, which is a lot less compared to Tucson,"
Currently, preparations are underway for the tournament in Antalya, southern Turkey.
Visa issues
Earlier this month, Taj revealed that Iranian players were still awaiting visas for participating in the tournament which begins on 11 June. The Iranian FA (FFIRI) presented FIFA with a list of ten conditions necessary for their participation at the World Cup matches. One such condition includes allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to receive visas.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that Iranian players would be welcome at the tournament but warned individuals linked with IRGC might face entry restrictions due to security reasons. In an incident earlier this year ahead of April's Fifa annual congress held in Vancouver Canada; several FFIRI officials including Taj were denied entry at Canadian border due to alleged links with IRGC leading his visa cancellation as per Canada’s immigration minister statement.
Some members of squad visited the US embassy in Ankara last Thursday to submit visa applications for the tournament. The World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. Iran's final match is scheduled against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June. BBC Sport has approached Fifa for comment regarding this matter.
