Mexican authorities are investigating after a body was discovered outside a stadium in the border city of Tijuana, where Iran’s national soccer team has been training ahead of its upcoming World Cup match against New Zealand.
Officials said the body was found Friday in a parking lot across from Estadio Caliente. According to authorities, the remains were inside a bag placed in the trunk of a gray vehicle. Police opened the car after noticing a strong odor coming from it.
Iran’s national team has been based in Tijuana during the World Cup because of visa delays and travel restrictions affecting members of its coaching and administrative staff. The squad is expected to travel to Los Angeles next week for its opening group-stage match against New Zealand’s All Whites.
Tijuana ranks among Mexico’s 10 most violent cities, according to the Citizen’s Council for Public Security, a Mexican think tank that publishes an annual list based on homicide rates. City officials recorded 1,219 killings last year in the city of more than 2.3 million people, a 32% drop from the number reported in 2024.
Situated on Mexico’s Pacific coast along the U.S. border, Tijuana has long been a key corridor for drug trafficking by criminal organizations. In recent years, it has also become a gathering point for thousands of migrants who were denied entry into the United States.
