Iran moving World Cup training base from U.S. to Mexico

U.S. Iran moving World Cup training base from U.S. to Mexico May 23, 2026 / 11:40 PM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google The president of the governing body of Iranian soccer said Saturday the nation's World Cup training base has been moved to Mexico from the United States after getting approval from FIFA.Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, announced the decision Saturday in a statement issued by the federation's media relations official. FIFA has not confirmed the move.Iran had been scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona, but a move has been a possibility because of uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns. Officials at Tucson's Kino Sports Complex had no comment.The federation says the team will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego. This year's World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Players for the Iran national football team arrive at a visa application center to apply for Canadian visas in Ankara, Turkey, on May 21, 2026. Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu via Getty Images "All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved FIFA," Taj said in his statement. "Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had yesterday in the Tehran with the respected FIFA secretary general, our request to change the team's base from the United States to Mexico was approved."Iran plays Group G games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium six days later, then faces Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The federation said Tijuana's relatively close proximity to Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles, will benefit the team and the new location "includes all training facilities, gym, private restaurant and everything else the team needs."Team Melli is appearing in its fourth straight World Cup and seventh overal...