Iran's World Cup team will land early on Sunday in Mexico. This will be their base during the World Cup, according to a statement from the team on Wednesday.
"The Iran national football team will leave Antalya for Tijuana at 15:20 (1220 GMT) on Saturday, June 6, and is set to reach Mexico at 1:30 am (0730 GMT) on Sunday, June 7," the statement said.
The players have been training in Antalya, Turkey, since May 18. They are still waiting for their US visas.
The 2026 World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19. The tournament is hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Iran's Team Melli is in Group G. They will face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on June 15 and 21. They will then play Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
On Monday evening, Mehdi Taj, the head of Iran’s football federation, mentioned that the players should receive their visas for Mexico on either Tuesday or Wednesday. He added, "and then a US visa will be issued quickly."
It was not clear right away if they had received the visas. Taj also noted that the team will travel to Mexico through Spain.
Tensions from the war have made the US visa process tricky. On May 24, Taj said Team Melli was moving their World Cup base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico.
Before they leave on Saturday, Iran will play a last friendly match against Mali in Antalya on Thursday. They won against Gambia 3-1 on May 29.
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