Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that Mexico would host Iran’s World Cup team as its training base moved from the United States to Tijuana, Mexico. The team will engage in its group stage matches in the U.S. but opted for Tijuana, south of San Diego, California, for its training base. This decision, previously announced by Iran’s soccer federation, was officially confirmed by FIFA, the governing body of soccer.
The relocation decision comes amidst the ongoing conflict in Iran involving the U.S. and Israel, which started on February 28. During a news conference, Sheinbaum shared that FIFA conveyed America’s hesitation to allow the Iranian soccer team to remain overnight in the U.S. “The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum remarked. Upon FIFA’s inquiry if Mexico could host the team overnight, Sheinbaum responded affirmatively, stating, “Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that.”
Iran’s soccer team is scheduled for matches against New Zealand in Inglewood, California, on June 15, against Belgium on June 21, and against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Originally set to establish its base in Tucson, Arizona, ongoing tensions prompted Iran’s team to relocate to Tijuana, according to Sheinbaum, confirming the Iranian federation’s weekend announcement. FIFA made the move official by listing 48 base camp sites on Monday. Teams frequent base camps for training sessions before and after matches. The World Cup is scheduled from June 11 to July 19, with co-hosting by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The possibility of a move had been discussed for months amid uncertainties due to the Middle East conflict and security issues. U.S. sanctions on Iran likely impacted the team’s ability to stay in the U.S. President Donald Trump expressed Iran’s team was welcome to compete during the tournament through a U.S. State Department statement. However, the statement did not address the team’s accommodation or Sheinbaum’s comments.
Sheinbaum revealed that her government is collaborating with FIFA to finalize details before the competition commences.
AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
Find more on AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
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