Corpse found near Iran team’s World Cup training venue

A decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a gray Toyota SUV parked near the stadium where Iran’s World Cup football team is training in Mexico, AFP reporters said on Friday.

The discovery occurred while matches were in progress in the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Witnesses observed police in Tijuana open the trunk of the vehicle, which had California licence plates, in the parking lot of a supermarket directly across from Caliente Stadium, where Team Melli is preparing for three games in the United States.

White‑clad specialists examined the corpse before removing it from the vehicle.

The Tijuana prosecutor’s office said the body was found by a patrol unit.

“Upon inspecting the vehicle, they found a person wrapped in a black bag in the trunk, showing signs of violence,” a spokesperson said, adding that the car was believed to have been abandoned on Wednesday.

Temperatures in the city have reached up to 28 °C (82 °F) in recent days, with hot sunshine beating down for hours each day.

Mexico is plagued by powerful drug gangs and has one of the world’s highest murder rates.

Tijuana, which sits on the border with the United States, is notoriously dangerous, with more than 1,200 homicides recorded there in 2025, according to official statistics.

The Iranian national team, whose participation in FIFA’s football extravaganza had been clouded by war with the United States, had planned to hold its training camp in Arizona but moved to Mexico amid ongoing hostilities.

Since arriving, the team has been under heavy security and is escorted between the hotel and the stadium by armed soldiers.

On Friday, the convoy left the stadium just minutes after the body was removed.

AFP made no immediate response to the team regarding security arrangements.

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