Iran National Team Captain Recounts Cartel Robbery in Tulum

Tulum, Quintana Roo — Alireza Jahanbakhsh, captain of Iran’s national soccer team, said he was robbed by suspected cartel members during a tourist visit to Tulum, Quintana Roo, prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 32-year-old player recounted the incident in an interview with Al Jazeera published Friday, though he did not specify when the trip with a friend took place.

Jahanbakhsh is currently in Tijuana, Baja California, after Iran’s team had to relocate its training camp from the United States because the Trump administration denied visas to some of the squad’s technical and administrative staff.

“We went to Tulum for a few days. And one day, the cartel stopped us. Their faces were completely covered. We were in a car and they stopped us. They made us get out and put our hands on the car and started searching us,” Jahanbakhsh said.

He said they knew not to carry valuables, so he only had a bank card and about 30 to 40 euros.

“But they wanted a lot of money, we didn’t understand how much,” he added, noting that the assailant patting him down repeatedly asked, “Country, country?”

Jahanbakhsh initially answered “Holland,” having trained in the Netherlands, but his friend Benjamin advised him to say Iran. “Ali, say Iran, say Iran. They are good with Iran,” the friend said. When Jahanbakhsh did so, the man searching him began to laugh.

“Oh, Iran! Go, go,” the criminal replied, taking their money and letting them go free.

“My friend goes to Mexico more than I do and says that, as it turns out, the cartels love Iranians. I swear, I don’t know why. He didn’t explain the reason, but he says the cartels love Iranians,” Jahanbakhsh said, laughing.

Amid political and military tensions between Iran and the United States, the Iranian team is training at the Estadio Caliente in Tijuana. Their first match is scheduled for Monday, June 15, at 6:00 p.m. against New Zealand. The game will be played in Inglewood, California, more than 220 kilometers from Tijuana. Under strict U.S. guidelines, the team must travel and return on the same day of the match.