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Mexico is preparing to host Iran’s national football team in Tijuana during the World Cup after FIFA approached President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration about moving the team’s base from Tucson, Arizona.
Sheinbaum said Monday that FIFA officials had asked whether the Iranian squad could stay overnight in Mexico, even though all three of its World Cup matches are scheduled to take place in the United States.
“The United States does not want the Iranian team staying overnight in the country ... So, they asked us … can they stay overnight in Mexico?” Sheinbaum said. “We said yes, no problem, we have absolutely no issue with that.”
Speaking at the National Palace in Mexico City, Sheinbaum said the request had come through FIFA as part of the tournament’s logistical planning.
According to Sheinbaum, the Iranian team had been expected to base itself in Tucson, Arizona, but discussions are now focused on setting up a base in Tijuana, a Mexican city near the country’s northwestern border with the United States.
The arrangement would allow Iran’s players and staff to stay in Mexico and travel across the border for their matches in the U.S. Sheinbaum said Mexico had agreed in principle, although the final details for moving the team between the two countries have not yet been worked out.
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The World Cup is being hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada, making cross-border coordination a key part of the tournament’s organization.
The planning around Iran’s stay comes during an unstable global climate, with Washington involved in multiple conflicts, including with Iran since Feb. 28.
Sheinbaum said FIFA had reached out to Mexico’s World Cup organization representative, Gabriela Cuevas, as well as the country’s Tourism Ministry, as officials look to settle the team’s accommodation and travel arrangements.
“They would arrive in Mexico and travel from here. That was what FIFA informed us: whether we agreed to let them stay overnight in Mexico, and we said yes, without any problem,” Sheinbaum said.
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