Iran's Football Federation president Mehdi Taj has announced that Fifa has approved a switch of the national team's World Cup base camp from the United States to Tijuana, Mexico — though Fifa itself is yet to formally confirm the decision.

A change driven by security concerns

Iran had originally been assigned Tucson, Arizona as their training base for the 2026 World Cup. However, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and related security concerns created significant uncertainty around the team's ability to prepare and participate on US soil.

Taj said the switch was secured following a series of high-level discussions, including meetings with Fifa and World Cup officials in Istanbul and a webinar held in Tehran with Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom.