00:00It's been decided where the Iran soccer team will stay during the 2026 World Cup
00:04and it won't be the United States. Before the recent war escalated, Iran originally planned
00:10to base the team in Tucson, Arizona, but the U.S. government categorically refused to fully host
00:16the Iranian delegation during the month-long tournament. The decision was tied to security
00:22concerns, player safety and rising geopolitical tensions. So while the U.S. is legally required
00:29to allow Iran in for official FIFA matches, they did not want the team staying overnight
00:35or establishing an extended footprint. So FIFA approached Mexico about hosting Iran instead
00:41and Mexico agreed. That's why Iran's World Cup base camp will officially be in Tijuana
00:47and Iranian officials say the move is actually logistically superior. Federation President
00:53Medhi Tahr said flights from Tijuana to Los Angeles, where Iran will play two group stage
00:58matches takes about 55 minutes, making it a shorter commute than from Tucson. The setup
01:05may also ease visa and travel complications linked to being fully based in the U.S.
01:10Iran will still play matches in the United States, including Los Angeles and Seattle, but will
01:16train and operate day to day from Mexico. And with less than three weeks to go, some players'
01:21U.S. visas are still not fully approved, leaving parts of the team's travel plans unresolved.
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