The hidden cost of expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup: Bafana set to cover 8 000km

In Pachuca, Mexico

The expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup – which is being played in three countries, across a surface area of 22 million square kilometres (km) and 15 time zones – is the biggest and most challenging edition of the quadrennial global showpiece.

Add geopolitics and differing visa policies to enter the co-hosting trio of Mexico, the United States of America (USA), and Canada – and you have a logistical nightmare.

Iran – who, on paper, should be among the teams with the least travel, as two of their three group-stage games were played at one stadium in California – were thrust into covering more distance than any other team when they were refused a base in the US due to the two countries’ political spat.

The Asian side is based in Tijuana, which means they fly to America for all their matches and then return to Mexico immediately after each game.

The rules for securing a base are quite simple in a FIFA tournament. The world football governing body releases a list of bases paired with a training ground to choose from.

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Higher-ranked teams get first choice. However, if you have more than one game in a certain city – like Iran with California – you are prioritised in the bases that are closer to where you are going to play.

That’s how Algeria, who have two games in Kansas, ended up with a base in Missouri. FIFA didn’t implement that rule for Iran, due to the stance that America has adopted.

That has resulted in the Persian Cheetahs finding themselves in a position where, when the group stage ends, they would have covered more than 5 332km in the two trips they have made to Inglewood, and then to Seattle for their last Group G match