Iran national football team was welcomed in Tijuana, Mexico, due to the training ban in the US, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 in Iran. The team is currently in Tijuana, Mexico, where they are training for their match against New Zealand in Los Angeles. This is the first time in the history of the World Cup that a host country has welcomed a team from a country at war with it. The team is staying at the Marriott hotel in Tijuana, where local children are gathering to watch the players leave for practice. The children are trying to get autographs from the players. This happened after the US announced last month that it would not allow Iranian players to train on its soil. As a result, the Mexican president announced that her country would host the team. The local soccer team in Tijuana, Xolos, offered their stadium as a training ground for the Iranian team. Since the team's arrival, people have gathered to watch the players leave the hotel for practice. The locals are chanting "Iran" in support of the team. One of the locals, Jose Reyes, says: "What the US did was disrespectful." He says: "The World Cup unites borders and humanity." He says: "Right now, there is no war. We're just united to watch the games." Victor Clark Alfaro, a professor at San Diego State University who studies US-Mexico relations, says: "There are many reasons why Mexico is hosting the Iranian team. One of the reasons is that Mexico wants to show that it is independent from the US. But this is a sensitive moment for Mexico to make this move. In this moment, the US president has threatened to attack Mexico, and Mexico is also in negotiations with the US to renew the North American free trade agreement." Clark says: "The big question is whether this gesture to the Iranian team will inflame tensions between the US and Mexico. In my opinion, Mexico should not take this risk."