Iranian national team arrives in Mexico for training ahead of World Cup

The Iranian national football team arrived early Sunday at Tijuana International Airport in Mexico after relocating from its original base in the US due to logistical issues, visa uncertainties and growing diplomatic tensions.

The 70-member football delegation arrived at 5 a.m. in the northwestern border state of Baja California. From there, the team will travel by air to Los Angeles and Seattle for its Group G matches and will be required to return to Mexican territory on the same day as each game.

Originally, the Iranian national team was set to be based in Tucson, Arizona, approximately 400 miles (643 kilometers) from Tijuana. The location had to be moved south of the border because of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has placed additional pressure on the national team ahead of the World Cup.

As of Saturday, Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, had reported that the US had not issued visas to 15 members of the team's technical and administrative staff.

According to Pasandideh, the team will be able to leave in the mornings to play its three scheduled matches in the US and return at night. Although transportation routes and border crossing arrangements between the two countries have yet to be finalized, he said travel would be by private aircraft or by land, depending on FIFA's requirements.

Iran will make its debut at the 2026 World Cup on June 15 against New Zealand. It will then compete for a place in the next round against Belgium on June 21 and Egypt on June 26.

If the team advances to the next stage, it will remain based in Mexico.

As the players prepare for the tournament, tensions back home continue to rise following Israel's strikes on Beirut, Lebanon's capital, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israeli forces had targeted Hezbollah's headquarters.

Despite a ceasefire and US calls for negotiations in Washington, Israel has intensified its assault on Lebanon in recent hours, escalating the regional conflict and rejecting Iran's proposed peace terms.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently warned that Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon constituted a violation of the ceasefire and demanded a response.

"The ceasefire between Iran and the US is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation," he said on the US social media platform X.