Mexican police investigate body found outside Tijuana stadium where Iran prepares for World Cup

• Mexican authorities are investigating a body discovered in a vehicle outside Estadio Caliente in Tijuana.
• The stadium is being used as a training base by Iran’s national football team ahead of the World Cup.

Mexican authorities are investigating the discovery of a corpse found in a parked vehicle outside a stadium in Tijuana, a border city where Iran’s national football team is currently training for its upcoming World Cup fixture.

The body was located on Friday in a parking lot opposite Estadio Caliente, where police said they were alerted after a strong odor coming from a gray car led officers to inspect the trunk. Inside, they found a bag containing human remains.

Officials have not yet released the identity of the victim or a possible cause of death, and an investigation is ongoing.

The incident occurred near a venue currently serving as a training facility for the Iran national football team, which is using Tijuana as its temporary base during the tournament.

The team is stationed in the city due to visa delays and travel restrictions affecting parts of its coaching and administrative staff. It is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles next week for its opening group stage match against the New Zealand national football team.

Tijuana, located along Mexico’s Pacific coast next to the United States border, has long faced security challenges linked to organized crime and drug trafficking routes.

Authorities have described it as one of the country’s most violent cities. The Citizen’s Council of Public Security, a Mexican think tank that tracks homicide data, has repeatedly placed the city among the highest in national murder rankings.

Local records showed 1,219 homicides last year in a population of more than 2.3 million residents, marking a reported decline compared with the previous year, according to municipal data.

Police have not confirmed whether the discovery outside the stadium is connected to organized crime activity in the region. The vehicle has been seized for forensic examination, and authorities say further details will be released as the investigation develops.

For now, officials are treating the case as a homicide investigation while maintaining security around key public sites, including sports facilities being used for World Cup preparations.