Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that she has "no issue" with her country hosting Iran's World Cup team after its training base was moved from the United States to Mexico for the summer soccer competition.
Base Moved to Tijuana
The team will still play its group stage matches in the U.S., but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California. FIFA formally confirmed the move on Monday.
This comes amid the war in Iran, which the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28. Before the war broke out, the team was originally planned to set up its base in Tucson, Arizona.
U.S. Reluctant to Host Team
Sheinbaum said at a news conference that she was told by a FIFA representative the U.S. was reluctant to have the Iranian soccer team spend time outside the games on U.S. territory.
"The United States doesn't want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States," Sheinbaum told reporters. A FIFA representative then asked, "Can they stay overnight in Mexico?"
"And we said, 'Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that,'" she added.
Match Schedule
Iran's soccer team is slated to play matches in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and against Belgium six days later, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
This year's World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
U.S. Welcome Statement
The U.S. State Department said in a statement that President Donald Trump had made it clear the Iranian team was welcome to participate in the tournament, though the statement did not address where the team might stay.
Sheinbaum said her government is working with FIFA to hash out all the details before the competition.
AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.