The Iranian team will be based in Tijuana on the border of Mexico and the US, federation president Mehdi Taj said in a video carried by the Fars news agency.

“Fortunately, thanks to the meetings we had with Fifa officials… our request to change countries from the United States to Mexico, due to problems encountered in obtaining visas, was accepted by Fifa,” Taj said.

“We will therefore be based in Tijuana, near the Pacific Ocean. It is a city that lies between Mexico and the US, but it is located in Mexico. We have actually completed the team building there.”

Taj said that the move would help to avoid complications related to visas and that the squad could use Iran Air flights to travel directly to Mexico.

The 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, which along with Israel began bombing Iran on Feb 28, sparking a wider war in the Middle East.