WORLD CUP 2026

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Mexico agrees to host Iran at World Cup instead of US​

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Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
Iran are preparing for the World Cup at a training camp in Turkey
BySteve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist
    • Published
      1 hour ago
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has agreed to allow Iran to be based in the country during the World Cup, claiming the United States were unwilling to host them.

Sheinbaum said her government had been approached by Fifa after the US made it clear it did not want Iran's squad to stay in the country during the tournament.

"We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico," Sheinbaum said.

"The United States does not want the Iranian team to stay overnight, but they are going to play three matches there.

"So they asked us: 'Can they stay overnight in Mexico?' And we said: 'Yes, no problem. We have no problem."

Iran were originally given Tucson, Arizona as their World Cup base with all three of their matches scheduled to take place in the US.

However, the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns has led to uncertainty around their participation.

The World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June - both in Los Angeles - and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Iran are currently preparing for the tournment in Antalya, southern Turkey.

The BBC has contacted the White House and Fifa for comment.
Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali, also confirmed that world football's governing body has stressed that the Iran squad will be given visas to play in the US this summer

"The Fifa president promised us that all our players would receive visas. There is no reason why our players should not receive visas," he said.

The Iranian FA (FFIRI) had presented Fifa with a list of 10 conditions for their participation at the World Cup, including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to receive visas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Iran players will be welcome at the tournament but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions.

Taj was one of a number of FFIRI officials turned away at the Canadian border ahead of April's Fifa annual congress in Vancouver with Canada's immigration minister telling parliament that his visa was cancelled because of links to the IRGC.

Some members of the squad went to the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to submit visa applications for the tournament.
 
kiwiqpr said:

Mexico agrees to host Iran at World Cup instead of US​

You must log in or register to see images
Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
Iran are preparing for the World Cup at a training camp in Turkey
BySteve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist
    • Published
      1 hour ago
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has agreed to allow Iran to be based in the country during the World Cup, claiming the United States were unwilling to host them.

Sheinbaum said her government had been approached by Fifa after the US made it clear it did not want Iran's squad to stay in the country during the tournament.

"We have no reason to deny them the possibility of staying in Mexico," Sheinbaum said.

"The United States does not want the Iranian team to stay overnight, but they are going to play three matches there.

"So they asked us: 'Can they stay overnight in Mexico?' And we said: 'Yes, no problem. We have no problem."

Iran were originally given Tucson, Arizona as their World Cup base with all three of their matches scheduled to take place in the US.

However, the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns has led to uncertainty around their participation.

The World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June - both in Los Angeles - and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Iran are currently preparing for the tournment in Antalya, southern Turkey.

The BBC has contacted the White House and Fifa for comment.
Iran's sports minister Ahmad Donyamali, also confirmed that world football's governing body has stressed that the Iran squad will be given visas to play in the US this summer

"The Fifa president promised us that all our players would receive visas. There is no reason why our players should not receive visas," he said.

The Iranian FA (FFIRI) had presented Fifa with a list of 10 conditions for their participation at the World Cup, including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to receive visas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Iran players will be welcome at the tournament but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions.

Taj was one of a number of FFIRI officials turned away at the Canadian border ahead of April's Fifa annual congress in Vancouver with Canada's immigration minister telling parliament that his visa was cancelled because of links to the IRGC.

Some members of the squad went to the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to submit visa applications for the tournament.
Click to expand...
Good they’re discussing this far in advance to avoid unnecessary hassle for the other teams and fans.
 
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Just in front of us on the inside of the hairpin (GS 34) at the F1 Grand Prix in Montreal this past weekend. Chris Wood for NZ will hopefully match this guy's goal scoring prowess in their upcoming WC match that we will be attending in Vancouver.

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England’s opening match in US risks 50,000 empty seats over ticket fears
Lack of demand for first warm-up game against New Zealand with fans appearing to save funds for extortionately-priced World Cup



Just 1,500 official England Supporters Travel Club members are at expected at Raymond James Stadium on June 11 Credit: Nick Potts/PA
Tom Morgan
Sports News Correspondent
Tom Morgan
Tom has been The Telegraph's Sports News Correspondent since 2018, and was previously Special Correspondent for Home News. See more
Published 27 May 2026 7:29pm BST
England could be playing in front of more than 50,000 empty seats for their first warm-up match ahead of the World Cup.

Only 13,000 tickets have been sold in total for the fixture against New Zealand next week at the 69,000-seat Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The cheapest tickets have been priced at £54 – significantly less than prices at the tournament which begins on June 11.

So far 12,000 tickets have been purchased for the second friendly against Costa Rica in a 25,000-seater stadium in Orlando. But England fans appear to be saving their dollars for the main event which is by far the most expensive World Cup in history.

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As reported by the Daily Mail and The Times, only 1,500 official England Supporters Travel Club members are at expected to go to the New Zealand match.

England’s three World Cup group games are against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, Ghana in Boston on June 23 and Panama in New Jersey on June 27.

A general view of the preparations around AT&T Stadium
England’s World Cup campaign begins at the home of NFL side Dallas Cowboys Credit: Omar Vega/Getty Images
There are about 3,500 England fans travelling with the official allocation – but officers estimate there will be 10,000 or more trying to buy tickets via other routes. Around 1,000 will travel to each game with the Football Association’s allocation, which will include families of players.

The cheapest set of tickets available for an England fan hoping to watch the national team go all the way to the final would total $7,020 (£5,148). For those wanting Category 1 tickets, the price totals $16,590 (£12,167). Travel, hotels and daily food and beer costs could easily take spending well beyond $60,000 (£43,995) for an entire tour.

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Thomas Concannon, of the Football Supporters Association’s (FSA) England Fans’ Embassy team, previously told Telegraph Sport: “The cost of going to this World Cup is probably higher than anyone expected. I don’t think people’s expectations going into the World Cup were unrealistic, either.” However, he pointed out that innovative England fans were finding ways to save big sums – most commonly by pre-arranging coach travel together.

The England squad will be based in Kansas City, Missouri, for the tournament after the pre-World Cup training camp in Florida.

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World Cup 2026
NZ and Iran in World Cup limbo with LA story about more than football
Uncertainty has clouded the All Whites and Team Melli’s group stage opener to be held in Los Angeles on 15 June

John Duerden
Fri 29 May 2026 04.00 BST
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New Zealand will play their first World Cup game in 16 years with much of the planet watching what is surely the biggest event of the group stage. But little attention will be on whether New Zealand can record their first World Cup win with Iran their opposition on 15 June. As well as all the headlines and anticipation, the global spotlight adds an extra layer to the challenge for New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley and his team.

Ever since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, there has been uncertainty surrounding this World Cup fixture in Los Angeles.

There were conflicting signals whether the Islamic Republic of Iran would allow the national football team to travel to the home of its attacker, and whether the US would welcome Team Melli. With kick-off now weeks away, it appears the game will go ahead as planned. Still, there is the possibility of protests by the large local Iranian population in “Tehrangeles”, many of whom fled the 1979 revolution, and acts of defiance by players. It’s more than a football story.


New Zealand, who also face Egypt and Belgium in their group, are very much the supporting cast in this drama. It is an unusual situation for any team to be in but that has been the case for the past three months with Bazeley never quite sure who the opposition would be for New Zealand’s biggest game since 2010.

“Right now we’re still continuing as though we’re playing Iran,” Bazeley said in March. “They’re the team that qualified and we got drawn against them. That’s still the fixture and until we get told otherwise, we’ll ‌continue ⁠with that preparation. Obviously, if things change, then we’ll deal with that.”

Iran football team ramps up preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a training session in Antalya
View image in fullscreen
Iran football team ramps up preparations for the 2026 World Cup with a training session in Antalya. Photograph: Oner San/AFP/Getty Images
Nothing has changed yet despite Iran’s request that the game be switched to a different country, leading to the prospect of New Zealand having to play in Mexico before heading to Vancouver for their final two group games. Fifa did not agree to that but have given the go ahead for Iran to switch their training camp from Arizona to the Mexican border city of Tijuana.


So, as it stands, it is Iran in LA. If that question is almost answered, then it now remains to be seen what kind of mental and physical condition Iran is in. There has been no domestic league action since the war in Iran started. Team Melli played two games in March behind closed doors – a 2-1 loss to Nigeria and then a 5-0 victory over Costa Rica. The players sang the national anthem with varying degrees of enthusiasm. There is little doubt that they are under considerable pressure.

Iran football players prepare for the 2026 World Cup with a training session in Antalya
View image in fullscreen
Iran football players prepare for the 2026 World Cup with a training session in Antalya. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Amid all this uncertainty, the All Whites (official nickname of the New Zealand team) have a game to prepare for but their World Cup opener may not be as difficult as some think, according to Jahanyar Mohebbi, former assistant at Persian Gulf Pro League team Foolad FC.


“Coach Amir Ghalenoei and his [Iran] staff will not change a lot, there will not be surprises,” Mohebbi, now with Chinese champions Shanghai Port, told the Guardian. “Iran are not an easy nation to play against … Iranian players are absolutely physical, always play direct. New Zealand will face a team that will be set in a low block and will try to get behind you on the counterattack.”

Mohebbi has seen how Uzbekistan, who have developed quite a rivalry with Iran on the pitch in recent years, have learned to deal with the threat. In the last six meetings, Team Melli have failed to defeat the central Asians. “Look at how Uzbekistan play against Iran and deal with the long balls and set pieces,” he said. “It will be similar.”

There are other issues for Iran. Many of the players haven’t played a competitive game for months. “New Zealand have players in Europe at a high level and if they can put Iran under pressure, if there is intensity and pressing, the Iranian team can struggle,” said Mohebbi.

And then there is the politics. Sardar Azmoun was left out of the squad after posting social media messages that did not go down well in Tehran. Other members of the team have reportedly been pushing for the inclusion of the former Roma and Bayer Leverkusen striker but as things stand, Azmoun remains on the outer. It all adds to the chaos. “There are a lot of things going on that are not under the control of the coaching staff,” said Mohebbi.

New Zealand will share the pitch and some of the global spotlight in Los Angeles in what should be an unforgettable occasion no matter the final score.

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FIFA have issued new rules for the World Cup the most significant is no wrestling at corners and several others directed at time wasting or gamesmanship. Hopefully these will be permanently used in all pro football. I noticed at the Champions League Final there was no wrestling at the corners so both sides must have been warned...
 
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