Mexican authorities are investigating a corpse found outside Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente stadium, where Iran’s national team is training for its upcoming World Cup match against New Zealand. The body was discovered in a bag inside a gray vehicle on Friday due to its pungent smell.
Iran’s squad has been using Tijuana as its base during the World Cup due to visa delays and travel restrictions imposed on administrative staff and coaches. The team will travel to Los Angeles next week for its first group stage match against New Zealand’s All Whites at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on June 15.
The Iranian team initially planned to train in Tucson, Arizona, but moved to Mexico over security concerns following the Iran war in late February. Despite attempts to move games from the U.S. to Mexico in March, including matches against Belgium and Egypt, all were unsuccessful.
Tijuana is one of Mexico’s 10 most violent cities, with last year recording 1,219 homicides among its more than 2.3 million residents, a 32% reduction from 2024. The city sits along the U.S. border south of San Diego, an area long used by criminal groups for drug smuggling and recently hosting thousands of migrants denied entry into the U.S.