As the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada approaches, a geopolitical dispute has disrupted competition logistics for Iran’s national men’s football team, with Mexico stepping in to accommodate the squad after a controversial restriction from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The 2026 World Cup, running from June 11 to July 19, has scheduled all three of Iran’s Group G matches for U.S. host cities: two matches against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, and a third against Egypt in Seattle. Despite approving Iran’s participation in matches held on American territory, Trump issued an order barring the Iranian squad from staying overnight anywhere in the U.S. The restriction comes amid a three-month ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran that launched on February 28, a conflict that has already killed roughly 3,468 people and injured more than 26,500, according to data from Al Jazeera.
In March, Trump defended the policy, claiming that barring overnight stays was “appropriate” “for their own life and safety.” As of press time, entry visas for Iranian team members have not yet been issued by U.S. authorities. Stuck between its match schedule and the U.S. travel restriction, global governing body FIFA turned to neighboring Mexico to resolve the logistics gap.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly confirmed the new hosting arrangement during her daily press briefing on Monday. “The United States doesn’t want the Iranian team to spend the night…So they asked us, ‘Can we stay the night in Mexico?’ We said sure, no problem,” Sheinbaum told reporters. She added that Mexico sees no justification for turning the Iranian team away, saying “We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico.”
Under the new plan, Iran will establish its team base at the Xoloitzcuintle Centre in Tijuana, a Mexican city located just south of the U.S.-Mexico border opposite San Diego, California. On each match day, the squad will cross the border into the U.S. to compete before returning to their Tijuana base after the game.
The unusual arrangement highlights how geopolitical tensions are spilling over into global football less than three months before the kickoff of the 2026 tournament, which is the first expanded 48-team World Cup in history.