Mexico agrees to host Iran at the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed her country will host Iran during the 2026 World Cup due to tensions with the United States.

Sheinbaum said that FIFA had approached Mexico after the US made it clear it didn’t want to host the Iranian national team during the tournament.

“We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico,” Sheinbaum told reporters on Monday (per BBC Sport).

Iran were originally set to be based in Arizona, with all three of their group games scheduled to be played in the US.

However, their participation in the summer tournament was called into question by the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns.

US president Donald Trump said in March that Iran’s players should not come to the World Cup due to safety reasons.

Team Melli asked FIFA to move their games to Mexico, but the global governing body’s president Gianni Infantino confirmed their matches would take place as scheduled in the US.

However, Amir Ghalenoei’s team will now be based in Tijuana, a border city in Baja California.

Iran are due to face New Zealand on June 15, Belgium on June 21 and Egypt on June 26, with the first two games scheduled in Los Angeles and the third in Seattle.

The team made it to their fourth consecutive World Cup by winning Group A of the third round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying.