1,000 Security Personnel in Tijuana Guard Iran’s National Team Camp

ByLa Jornada Baja California editorial staff

This article by the La Jornada Baja California editorial staff originally appeared in the June 17, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Tijuana. Nearly one thousand personnel from the various corporations are guarding the Iran National Soccer Team, which is based in Tijuana, revealed the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Baja California, Laureano Carrillo Rodríguez.

There is custody during transfers, at the hotel where they are housed, and at the Estadio Caliente designated for their training, with no incident having been recorded so far, the secretary said. A general of the Mexican Army, he had previously reported that Plan Kukulkán, already executed in other parts of the country, would be applied.


We have a fairly well-coordinated security operation with the Federation, almost 980 agents; 700 are from the National Guard and 280 are state and municipal agents… also from other corporations, including Civil Protection, of course,” he explained.

Members of the Iranian team have expressed comments of gratitude for Baja California, the security forces, and the government, the Security secretary said during Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda’s weekly press conference.

“They are very happy, they have expressed it in some comments they have made with the colleagues who have contact with them through the security teams,” Carrillo Ramírez said, highlighting that there have not been any incidents so far, “we have not had events that put the safety of any of the team members at risk,” and everything has proceeded as scheduled, he emphasized.

For her part, Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda highlighted that the population of Baja California, and in particular that of Tijuana, which is characterized by its hospitality, has made the Iranians feel “at home,” and everything has been carried out in accordance with the rules imposed by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

The Iranian World Cup team is in Tijuana because the United States denied permission for them to remain on its territory during their participation in the matches that will take place in the northern country during the 2026 World Cup.