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FIFA has officially released the list of training camps for the 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup starting June 11, amid a remarkable change in the camp map as Iran moved its base from Tucson, USA to the Zulu Itzcuintli Center in Tijuana, Mexico.
Escaping the visa crisis
Iran’s national team announced last week that it plans to host the tournament in Tijuana, a city on the US border in the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California, to avoid visa problems entering the US.
Iran Football Federation President Mehdi Taj said the change would go a long way in solving the visa problem, stressing that FIFA had approved the request to move the camp after several meetings with the organization’s officials and World Cup organizers.
Meetings in America… and camping in Mexico
Although the camp has been moved to Mexico, Iran, included in Group G, will play the first two matches against New Zealand and Belgium on June 16 and 21 in Los Angeles, and will face Egypt in the third match in Seattle.
Wide geographic distribution of camps
39 teams will be based in the US, 7 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada. Another 25 cities that will not see matches during the tournament will host additional teams for training.
Seven teams, Colombia, Iran, South Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Tunisia and Uruguay, have been confirmed to participate in the camps in Mexico, while Canada and Panama will be based in Canadian facilities, while the remaining teams will be based in the United States.
Cities without matches… but with camps
Among the cities that will host non-conference camps are New Tecumseh, Canada, and Cancun, Pachuca, and Tijuana, Mexico, in addition to 21 U.S. cities, including Austin, Nashville, Portland, San Diego, and Tampa.
The election process lasted two years
School selection officially began in 2024, when aspiring teams were informed of an initial list of top-level options, which was narrowed and refined throughout 2025. After the draw for the finals in December 2025, the 42 teams that qualified at the time began to submit their selections from more than 60 groups, which will play from more than 60 group selections.
