Dead body – Police in Tijuana found a rotting body wrapped in a black bag inside the trunk of an abandoned gray Toyota SUV with a California license near Iran’s World Cup training base, prompting investigations as the team prepares for its opener against New Zealand at Ca
A rotting body wrapped in a black bag was pulled from the trunk of an abandoned gray Toyota SUV in Tijuana, forcing authorities to move quickly as Iran’s World Cup preparations carried on meters away.
Police made the discovery on Friday after reports of a nasty smell coming from the car parked at a supermarket across from the Iran team’s camp. Specialists in white protective suits worked around the vehicle before the corpse was removed.
Mexican authorities said the vehicle—left in blazing sunshine in the city after days of heat—was found abandoned with a California license. “Upon inspecting the vehicle, they found a person wrapped in a black bag in the trunk, showing signs of violence,” a statement from Mexican authorities said.
The SUV was parked meters away from Caliente Stadium, where Iran was practicing while the body was being removed. The stadium sits within Tijuana, a border city described as notoriously dangerous. Official statistics show Tijuana recorded more than 1,200 homicides in 2025.
The discovery landed as the World Cup got underway in Mexico City on Thursday and Iran’s movement around the tournament faced added scrutiny tied to the war between Iran and the United States. Iran has been given restrictions on travel: it can only fly into the United States on the day of its games in California. and has also been ordered to leave on the same day.
Iran initially planned to be based in Arizona. but hostilities with the United States meant the team moved to fellow co-host Mexico. From there. the team’s schedule puts pressure on tight logistics—its first two games. against New Zealand and Belgium. are in Los Angeles before the group stage concludes with a match against Egypt in Seattle.
The same close geography that brings the team to Caliente Stadium also placed them within reach of where Friday’s discovery was made—an abandoned SUV near the camp, and a body removed while practice continued.
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