Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Sunday, May 24, 2026, 12:14 / Updated Sunday, May 24, 2026 12:14
In the context of the conflict with the US, Iran's national soccer team will have its training base during this summer's World Cup (June 11 to July 19) in Tijuana, Mexico, and not in Tucson, USA, as originally planned.
The announcement of the change was made by Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj in an official statement on Saturday.
The change of training base is linked to the deterioration of relations between the US and Iran, after this year's mutual military conflict, as a result of which the Asian team's participation in the championship was uncertain for several weeks.
Iran has changed its training base since the World Cup
“All the training bases of the participants in the championship must be approved by the International Football Federation (FIFA). Fortunately, after a meeting with FIFA representatives in Istanbul, our request to change the base was approved. We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is located near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States.” announced the president of FFIRI, less than a month before the start, quoted by sport.aktuality.sk.
“The total distance between us and the venue of our matches in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by plane,” the Iranian official also said.
Iran are set to play all of their group stage matches in the US. In Group G, they will face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in succession.
Group G program
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June 15, 22:00 » Belgium – Egypt
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June 16, 4:00 am » Iran – New Zealand
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June 21, 22:00 » Belgium – Iran
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June 22, 4:00 am » New Zealand – Egypt
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June 27, 6:00 a.m. » Egypt – Iran
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June 27, 6:00 am » New Zealand – Belgium
