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Mexican President Claudia Schönbaum has agreed to allow Iran to attend the World Cup in the country despite the United States refusing to host them.
Sheinbaum was approached by FIFA after the US made it clear that it did not want the Iranian team to remain in the country during the tournament.
“We have no reason to deny them the opportunity to stay 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 you spend the night in Mexico?’ And we said: ‘Yes, no problem. We don’t have a problem.”
Iran were initially given Tucson, Arizona as their World Cup site, with all three of their matches to be played in the US.
However, ongoing wars in the Middle East and associated security concerns have created uncertainty around participation.
The World Cup is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Iran on June 15, New Zealand and Belgium on June 21 – both in Los Angeles – and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Iran is currently preparing for the tournament in Antalya, southern Turkey.
The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.
