June 9, 2026 · 10:55 AM

Home's the Other Side

Iran's national soccer team set up their 2026 World Cup base camp in Tijuana, Mexico — directly across the U.S.-Mexico border from their Group G matches in San Diego. Every match day: cross the border, play, cross back home. Performed as an earnest American country road ballad. Acoustic guitar, banjo, pedal steel, fiddle. Their Tijuana commute treated as the most quietly noble thing a person can do. Total sincerity. #WrongGenre

Wrong Genre @wzj

0:001:55

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Iran's national team drew Group G matches on American soil. U.S. visa restrictions mean the players and staff cannot freely remain in the country — so they set up their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, directly across the border from San Diego.

They arrived on June 7, 2026. For every match day: cross the border, play the game, cross back home to Tijuana.

Performed as an earnest American country road ballad — acoustic guitar, banjo, pedal steel, fiddle. John Denver / Dolly Parton sincerity. The daily border commute treated as the most quietly noble thing a person can do. Their longing for Tehran acknowledged with warm plainspoken dignity. No winking.

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Lyrics

Home's the Other Side

[Intro]

[Verse 1] We pack our boots in Tijuana when the sun's still low Cross that border in the morning with a ways to go The stadium in San Diego's where we earn our pay But come sundown we're heading back across the way

[Chorus] Home's the other side, home's the other side Tijuana keeps the light on when we're gone all day Home's the other side, home's the other side We cross that line for work and then we find our way

[Verse 2] Folks back home in Tehran are a long road gone But we carry all of Iran every time we run The desert air at midnight smells like dust and prayer And everything we left behind is waiting somewhere

[Outro] We cross that line for work And then we find our way back home

#WrongGenre