Iran will base its team in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during this year’s World Cup after FIFA approved a request to move its training camp from Arizona, the head of Iran’s football federation said on Saturday.
“We will be based in Tijuana, which is close to the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States,” Iran’s football federation president Mehdi Taj said in a video posted on his Telegram social media account.
Taj added that the move will help avoid visa-related complications and that the team will be able to travel directly to Mexico aboard Iran Air flights.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran will play their first two Group G matches in Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, before facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
“The total distance between us and the location of our games in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by flight,” Taj said, adding that Tijuana is closer to the location of the games than the team’s previously planned location in Arizona.
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Iran has faced uncertainty for months over travel and security arrangements for the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Iranian authorities said this month that their players and staff had not yet received U.S. visas less than a month before the start of the tournament.
Taj said FIFA had been asked for guarantees regarding visas, security and treatment of the Iranian delegation.
The World Cup runs from June 11th to July 19th.
