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 for comment.
