{"id":1025,"date":"2026-05-28T06:03:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1025"},"modified":"2026-05-28T06:03:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T06:03:52","slug":"iran-choosing-tijuana-over-tucson-for-world-cup-training-has-painful-financial-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1025","title":{"rendered":"Iran choosing Tijuana over Tucson for World Cup training has painful financial impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<section>\n<p>TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) &#8211; Tucson lost its status as a World Cup training site after <i><u><b>the Iranian national soccer team chose to move to Tijuana,<\/b><\/u><\/i> citing security concerns and potential visa issues, resulting in significant economic losses for the city.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1023\">Ex-CIA official charged with stealing more than $40 million in gold bars from government<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The cancellation impacts not only sports fans but also the Tucson economy, as the team was expected to spend heavily during its stay. Kino Sports Complex had preparations in place for the Iranian national team\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of our contractors had been scheduled. All of our law enforcement had been scheduled,\u201d said Sarah Hanna, Kino Sports Complex director.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h5>FIFA WORLD CUP<\/h5>\n<div>\n<div>Tucson on FIFA\u2019s short list to be World Cup training sites<\/div>\n<div>Kino Sports Complex to host Iranian national team for 2026 World Cup training<\/div>\n<div>How conflict in Iran could impact World Cup training in Tucson<\/div>\n<div>Exorbitantly expensive tickets for early World Cup games still on general sale<\/div>\n<div>FIFA announces Super Bowl-style final halftime show featuring Madonna, Shakira and BTS<\/div>\n<div>Mesa facility named training site for Turkey World Cup squad<\/div>\n<div>Colorado farm picked to grow playing surfaces for World Cup stadiums<\/div>\n<div>U.S. government kicks in $650 million on World Cup security<\/div>\n<div>Iran moves World Cup base camp from Tucson to Mexico, officials say<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The sudden change by Iran delivered a financial hit to the county. Hanna said they spent more than $75,000 on security and local contractors.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest impact falls on Westward Look Resort, where the team planned to stay. The general manager said the resort will lose out on hundreds of thousands of dollars as the team was going to buy out all 241 rooms for 30 days.<\/p>\n<p>The team also planned three meals a day, totaling around $40 per person per day.<\/p>\n<p>County officials said the economic loss is particularly frustrating because Pima County did nothing wrong.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t do anything. This wasn\u2019t because the county screwed up, or the sports complex was inadequate,\u201d said Matt Heinz, Pima County supervisor. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s so frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iran cited security concerns as part of the reason for the move. Heinz said he wasn\u2019t worried about protesters coming to the complex in his district.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had no concerns whatsoever. I do understand, though, and respect the hesitation on the part of the Iranian team members,\u201d Heinz said.<\/p>\n<p>However, some local Iranian residents disagreed with that assessment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it would have 100% been a protest,\u201d said Amir Pajouyan, a Tucson resident from Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1021\">Friend of Phoenix morgue break-in suspect: \u2018This could\u2019ve been prevented\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But Pajouyan said this was an opportunity to bring people together, Something Tucson residents, soccer fan or not, could have been a part of.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSports has always been a way to unify,\u201d Pajouyan said. \u201cI have soccer players that play ion my team that are American, and they\u2019re excited for the team to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i><u><b>Including visa issues from the Tucson Baseball Ream this past winter,<\/b><\/u><\/i> it marks the second opportunity lost in Tucson with at least a potential $13 million of economic impact combined.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this, Hanna said the takeaway should not be the loss but rather the display that Kino is a viable location to host future international events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re not deterred by this. We realize that sometimes things are out of your control, but we\u2019re definitely not deterred here in southern Arizona,\u201d Hanna said.<\/p>\n<p>FIFA told Kino officials it is working to recoup some of the financial loss from the move. Officials at Westward Look said they hope to offset the loss of revenue with future bookings through Tucson\u2019s busy season.<\/p>\n<p>Are you streaming 13 News?<\/p>\n<p>Watch a free live stream of Tucson Now and 13 News at TucsonNow.Live.<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to download the free Tucson Now app, which you can find on Apple and Google.<\/p>\n<p>If you are using a desktop computer, you can use your mobile device to scan the QR code below.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1019\">Sticky TikTok trend leaves Phoenix landmark covered in gum<\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pima County said they spent over $75,000 on security and local contractors for the Iranian national teams saty for World Cup training, and the Westward Look Resort,say they will lose out on hundreds of thousands of dollars as the team was going to buy out all 241 rooms for 30 days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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