How Teams Choose Their Base Camps for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Fortunately for the 6 billion fans that FIFA predict will engage with the tournament, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching.

Following the conclusion of the playoffs, all 48 spots have now been allocated. The tournament will kick off in less than 70 days, beginning with Mexico vs South Africa.

As final preparations are being made across the North American host countries, each competing nation must decide where it will call home for the tournament.

With a record 48 teams and 104 matches spread across the continent, where teams choose to base themselves could play a crucial role in their success.

So where will some of the biggest nations be based, and what factors will play into these decisions?

How Do Teams Choose Their Base?

For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA have provided 64 pre-approved base camps for teams to choose from.

The expanded 48 teams therefore provide plenty of competition for the best locations and facilities, which after submitting their preferences, are awarded to competing nations based on two factors.

The first is their FIFA World Ranking, with Pot 1 teams having priority. Within this, teams who have fixtures scheduled in the same state as their desired training camp will have priority too.

Kansas City was in high demand, with 10 teams visiting the area since the groups were drawn. As Pot 1 teams who play a fixture in Kansas, Netherlands and Argentina were able to secure the most desired facilities in the region.

However, England, who identified Kansas City as a preferred base location as early as January 2025, do not play any of their games in the state. Rather than looking at alternate locations, England are set to remain in Kansas nonetheless, selecting the Swope Soccer Village as their base.

As an alternative to the 64 FIFA-approved bases, nations can search for their own base independently. If this is the case, the nation still has to seek approval from FIFA, with conditions including the base needing at least one training pitch that complies with FIFA regulations. 

Location

Of course a primary consideration, the base’s location relative to the team’s fixtures is important. This is more so than in previous editions, for instance during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, 24 teams stayed within a 10km radius of each other.

This year, finding a suitable base requires more compromise, with the two furthest host stadiums, Vancouver and Mexico City, being a six-hour flight from one another.

USA

In the case of co-hosts USA, decision-makers had a relatively straightforward choice. 

The nation’s Group D fixtures take them to Los Angeles, Seattle, and back to Los Angeles. Should they top their group, they would again play in California (Santa Clara), and if they finish second, would make the longer trip to Arlington, Texas.

With their games centred around the west coast, the USMNT selected the Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, California.

Australia

Also in Group D, Australia’s group games will be played in the same general area, namely Vancouver, Seattle and Santa Clara (California).

Identical to the US, Australia topping the group will return them to Santa Clara, while finishing second will send them to Arlington. As a result, they have selected the Oakland Roots/Soul Training Facility in California as their base camp.

England

England, in contrast, had a bit more of a choice to make when it came to their base location, selecting the relatively central location of the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City as their home during the tournament. 

However, none of their group-stage matches are in the same state, requiring flights of two to four hours.

For their opener, England will fly to Dallas, before heading to Boston and New York in the country’s north-east for their games against Ghana and Panama.

If England finish first in the group, their round-of-32 game will be in Atlanta, and if they finish second, it will be in Toronto.

What are the Facilities Like?

In addition to its location, the quality of the base camps plays a significant role in the decision.

Factors include the privacy of the venue and the standards of the pitches and training equipment, as well as the off-the-pitch activities that many top-flight players have become accustomed to.

Details and photos of all 64 camps are available via the FIFA Team Base Camp Brochure, where nations can browse facilities from beach resorts to college facilities, with some hotels even offering the option of a full buyout to provide further privacy.

For the USA, the Great Park Sports Complex in the city of Irvine is located 6.4km away from the team hotel, has two pitches, as well as a 5,000-seat capacity should the team host public training sessions.

Australia’s Oakland Roots/Soul Training Facility is similarly suburban, located 20 minutes from the team hotel, and is the former training ground of NFL team Oakland Raiders.

As for England, the Swope Soccer Village is not one of the 64 FIFA-listed locations, and is the fourth World Cup base in Kansas City, alongside those of Argentina, the Netherlands and Algeria.

Located a 15-minute drive from the city centre, the facility has two nearby golf courses as well as swimming facilities. 

“It is not in the middle of the busiest part of the city,” Kansas City mayor Quinron Lucas told Sky Sports, adding: “England training here is probably one of the greatest historical moments in the history of the east side of Kansas City.”

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Article by Zakaria Anani