The United States is co-hosting a World Cup and still wouldn't let one of the competing nations sleep within its borders. Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, visited Tijuana on Thursday to formally thank President Claudia Sheinbaum for stepping in after Washington made its position clear: Iran could play here, but they couldn't stay.
FIFA confirmed the arrangement on Monday. Iran will base themselves in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, crossing into the US only on matchdays for their three Group G fixtures. It's an extraordinary logistical workaround for a World Cup that's barely begun.
Three matches, two countries, zero visas issued
Pasandideh didn't mince words. Host nations are obligated under FIFA rules to issue visas to competing squads and their supporters. As of his Thursday visit, those visas haven't materialised. Iran's football federation chief Mehdi Taj confirmed the Tijuana base over the weekend, and Sheinbaum said FIFA came to her government directly after US authorities made their position clear.
The schedule itself adds another layer of complexity. Iran face New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium — also in LA — on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. That's three separate cross-border trips, through one of the world's busiest land border crossings, in the middle of a major international tournament.
Group G isn't forgiving either. Belgium are genuine contenders to advance deep, and even New Zealand, while beatable, won't be a walkover. Iran will need every tactical edge they can get. Running a daily commute across an international border before every match isn't exactly ideal preparation.
What this means for Iran's group stage
The psychological and physical toll of this arrangement is easy to underestimate. Travel fatigue, visa uncertainty, and the diplomatic circus surrounding the team's situation all create noise that coaches and players have to actively block out. Betting markets will rightly factor Iran as outsiders to progress from this group — but the conditions they're operating under make that picture even harder.
Mexico, to its credit, filled a gap that shouldn't have existed in the first place. Pasandideh's thank-you visit says plenty about how strained the situation actually is. A World Cup team needing a third country to intervene just so they have somewhere to sleep is not a normal footnote in tournament history.
