The Iranian Football Association (FA) has announced a significant change regarding the country's training base for the upcoming World Cup. According to Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian FA, FIFA has approved the relocation of Iran's World Cup training camp from the United States to Mexico.

New Training Base in Tijuana

Iran will now set up its training camp in Tijuana, a city located on the Mexican border. This decision comes as a response to ongoing security concerns related to the conflict in the Middle East, which has raised doubts about the team's participation in the tournament. Initially, Iran was assigned Tucson, Arizona, as their base, but the shift to Tijuana is expected to facilitate better logistics for the team.

Taj emphasized that the new location is more advantageous, stating, "The distance for us in the two games that we have in LA will be a 55-minute flight, which is a lot less compared to Tucson." The Iranian team is currently preparing for the tournament in Antalya, Turkey, ahead of their matches scheduled in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Visa Challenges and Conditions

As the tournament approaches, the Iranian players are still awaiting the issuance of their visas. Earlier this month, Taj mentioned that the Iranian FA has submitted a list of ten conditions to FIFA regarding their participation, including visa provisions for players and officials associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that while Iranian players will be welcomed, those with ties to the IRGC may face entry restrictions.

In a related incident, Taj and other FFIRI officials were denied entry at the Canadian border prior to FIFA's annual congress in Vancouver, with the Canadian immigration minister citing Taj's links to the IRGC as the reason for the visa cancellation. Meanwhile, some squad members have visited the US embassy in Ankara to apply for their tournament visas.