Mexico says will host Iran during World Cup

MEXICO CITY: Mexico will allow Iran to be based in the country during the 2026 World Cup so its players can avoid US visa restrictions, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday (May 25). 

The Iranian national team, scheduled to play three first-stage matches in US stadiums, announced on Saturday that FIFA had endorsed its plan to stay overnight on the Mexican side of the border to avoid visa problems. 

Uncertainty has clouded the Iranian team's participation in the tournament ever since the US and Israel launched an offensive against the Islamic republic in late February. 

The team had originally planned to set up camp in Tucson, in the US state of Arizona. 

"The United States doesn't want the Iranian team to spend the night," Sheinbaum told reporters in her daily press conference.

"So they asked us, 'can we stay the night in Mexico? We said sure, no problem.'"

The Iranian team chose the northwestern border state of Tijuana as their base, where they will recuperate in between two games in Los Angeles and a third in Seattle.

The players are in Group G and will debut on June 15 in a game against New Zealand.

Sheinbaum explained that Mexican authorities are coordinating the details of the Iranians' stay with FIFA. 

Iran and the United States broke diplomatic relations in 1980 after militants held dozens of Americans hostage for more than a year in the US Embassy in Tehran.