Mexico says it will host Iranian team during 2026 FIFA World Cup

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that her country will host the Iranian national football team during the upcoming FIFA World Cup, due to tensions with the United States. On Monday, Sheinbaum said that FIFA, the global football governing body, had approached Mexico about hosting Iran , after the US said it did not wish to do so. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list “We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said during her daily media conference. Previously, Iran had been scheduled to play all three of its group matches in the US. But the administration of US President Donald Trump has previously said it is not “appropriate” for Iranian team members to be in the country, “for their own life and safety”. It has yet to grant the Iranian team the necessary visas to travel to the US, despite Trump’s assertion that players and staff would be “welcome”. Since February 28, the US and Israel have been at war with Iran, and peace negotiations are tense but ongoing. The head of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, confirmed on Sunday that the team planned to move its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to the Mexican border city of Tijuana. Taj explained that team leaders got approval for the move after meeting with FIFA officials in Istanbul, as well as holding an online conference with FIFA’s Secretary General, Mattias Grafstrom. …