The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first to feature 48 teams, spread across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With that expansion comes a logistical challenge that every participating nation has had to solve before a single match is played: where to set up base.
World Cup base camp selection shapes everything from daily training routines to travel fatigue to how much media access a squad is willing to tolerate. Some nations have chosen major metropolitan facilities with top-tier infrastructure. Others have opted for college campuses and quieter suburban settings that offer privacy and focus over convenience. The group stage schedule was designed to minimize travel distances, giving teams more flexibility in anchoring themselves to a single location throughout the early rounds.
The three host nations had an advantage the rest of the field did not. Because the United States, Canada, and Mexico knew their group stage match locations before the draw, they could build their base camp decisions around specific venues from the start.
Group stage base camps by nation
Brazil will train out of Morristown, New Jersey, using the Red Bull Performance Center, one of the more high-profile facility choices in the tournament. Morocco set up nearby in Bernards Township, New Jersey, at the Pingry School.
Germany heads to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where Wake Forest University is providing the training grounds. Spain made a less conventional choice, setting up at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Belgium has not yet confirmed a location.
The United States will base itself in Irvine, California, training at the Great Park Sports Complex. Australia opted to stay in the same state, using Oakland Roots facilities in Oakland. Canada chose to remain close to home, basing in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the Vancouver Whitecaps facility on the University of British Columbia campus.
In the Southwest, Czechia will train at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium in Mansfield, Texas, while Saudi Arabia is expected to use Q2 Stadium in Austin. South Korea crossed the border for its base, setting up in Guadalajara, Mexico, at Chivas Verde Valle, the training home of Liga MX club C.D. Guadalajara. Mexico itself has not yet announced a confirmed location.
Switzerland landed in San Diego, California, training at the San Diego Jewish Academy. Qatar chose Santa Barbara, California, positioning itself near Levi’s Stadium. Japan is heading to Nashville, Tennessee, where Nashville SC’s facilities will serve as the training base. The Netherlands chose Kansas City, Missouri, using the Kansas City Current’s grounds.
Egypt will train at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Curaçao, making its World Cup debut, will be based at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.
What the choices reveal
The range of locations reflects the different priorities teams are balancing. Nations with matches concentrated on the coasts are clustering near those venues to reduce cross-country travel. Others are prioritizing access to elite club facilities over geographic convenience, betting that better training infrastructure outweighs the cost of longer transit times between base camp and stadium.
College campus selections are a recurring theme, particularly among teams that want controlled environments with limited public access. Universities offer training pitches, recovery facilities, and accommodations in a contained setting that professional venues in major cities cannot always replicate.
For host cities and surrounding communities, the arrival of a national team for several weeks carries economic significance beyond the matches themselves. Hotels, restaurants, and local businesses in base camp towns benefit from the extended presence of traveling squads, staff, and media in ways that a single match day cannot generate.
Additional World Cup base camps are still being finalized as the tournament approaches, and several nations listed as to be determined are expected to confirm their locations in the coming weeks.
