As the World Cup approaches its kickoff day, the participating teams are getting closer to finalising their squads and planning their final few weeks before the June 11 opener in Mexico.
With the majority of the expanded rosters for the 48 teams announced, the attention will now shift towards travelling to the United States, Mexico and Canada for the last phase of their friendly matches and training sessions.
Meanwhile, in the host nations, the tournament’s hospitality sector is busy putting together finishing touches before teams’ arrivals at their base camps.
Here’s what we know about the World Cup base camps, training facilities and locations:
A base camp is the primary location chosen by every participant nation for their pre-tournament training and acclimatisation, as well as the duration of their group-stage games in the World Cup.
A base camp comprises everything from accommodation to practice football fields, gyms, post-training recovery facilities, performance evaluation centres and anything else a team may need during the competition.
The three host nations hold an advantage, whether it’s climate acclimatisation, home crowd support or fewer logistical hurdles, over the 45 nations, who endure international travel and adjustments to local climate.
All 48 teams have selected a base camp from the FIFA-approved catalogue to suit their requirements and the locations of their group-stage fixtures.
The locations are a mix of local sports complexes, university sports facilities and luxury hotels.
These base camps will primarily be used until the group stage of the tournament, which runs from June 11 to 27.
The 32 teams advancing to the knockouts will have the option of extending their stay at the same location or moving closer to their next match venue.
Training: Rock Chalk Park, University of Kansas Accommodation: DoubleTree, Lawrence Fixtures: Argentina (June 16, Kansas City), Jordan (June 22, San Francisco), Austria (June 27, Kansas City)
Algeria were the first team, in February, to make Kansas their home, owing to the proximity to Kansas City Stadium, where they will open their campaign against Argentina.
Training: Sporting KC Performance Center Accommodation: Hotel Savoy, Kansas City Fixtures: Algeria (June 16, Kansas City), Austria (June 22, Dallas), Jordan (June 27, Dallas)
The defending champions will be in the home state of the Kansas City Stadium in Missouri, less than 20 minutes from its training centre that boasts five elite football fields, a performance lab and training facilities for athletes.
The team will have heightened security at the training centre. The holders will enjoy custom facilities at the hotel, similar to their stay at the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, where the eventual champions cooked their traditional barbecue meat at Qatar University in Doha.
Argentina face Algeria in their opening match in Kansas City before facing Jordan and Austria in Dallas, Texas.
Training: Oakland Roots Sports Club Accommodation: Claremont Resort and Club Fixtures: Turkiye (June 14, Vancouver), USA (June 19, Seattle), Paraguay (June 25, San Francisco)
The Socceroos will make their home in Northern California after a pre-World Cup camp in Sarasota, Florida, and a friendly match against Mexico in Los Angeles on May 30.
Training: Harder Center, University of California at Santa Barbara Accommodation: Ritz-Carlton Fixtures: Jordan (June 17, San Francisco), Argentina (June 22, Dallas), Algeria (June 27, Kansas City)
Austria will train at the University of California at Santa Barbara’s football facility, which often hosts the US men’s and women’s national teams.
They arrive on the West Coast in early June, before travelling to nearby Santa Clara for their first game.
Training: Seattle Sounders Training Centre Accommodation: Hyatt Regency, Seattle Fixtures: Egypt (June 15, Seattle), Iran (June 21, Los Angeles), New Zealand (June 26, Vancouver)
The Red Devils will be based in the state of their tournament opener and train at the Providence Swedish Performance Centre and Clubhouse, home to Major League Soccer (MLS) club Seattle Sounders.
Training: Washington University Orthopedics High Performance Center Accommodation: Unconfirmed Fixtures: Canada (June 12, Toronto), Switzerland (June 18, Los Angeles), Qatar (June 24, Seattle)
Bosnia return to the World Cup after a decade and have chosen St Louis as their home away from home. Although none of their matches is in the state of Missouri, St Louis is home to the largest Bosnian population outside Europe.
The team is scheduled to play Panama in an international friendly on June 6 while in St Louis for a six-day training camp.
Training: Columbia Park Training Facility, New Jersey Accommodation: Ridge Hotel, New York City Fixtures: Morocco (June 13, New Jersey), Haiti (June 19, Philadelphia), Scotland (June 24, Miami)
The five-time world champions have chosen the Big Apple as their home and will be training in neighbouring New Jersey at the state-of-the-art facility used by MLS team New York Red Bulls.
Training: National Soccer Development Centre Accommodation: The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver Fixtures: Bosnia (June 12, Toronto), Qatar (June 18, Vancouver), Switzerland (June 24, Vancouver)
Taking advantage of their host nation status, Canada have made their base camp in Vancouver, where they play two of three group stage matches.
Vancouver will host seven of the 104 World Cup matches, including knockouts.
Training: Waters Sportsplex Accommodation: Grand Hyatt Regency Fixtures: Spain (June 15, Atlanta), Uruguay (June 21, Miami), Saudi Arabia (June 26, Houston)
The Blue Sharks will train on Florida’s west coast. They will travel to the neighbouring state of Georgia to make their World Cup debut before staying in-state for their second game and heading to Houston for their final group-stage fixture.
Training: Atlas AGA Academy Accommodation: Grand Fiesta Americana Country Club Fixtures: Uzbekistan (June 17, Mexico City), Democratic Republic of Congo (June 23, Guadalajara), Portugal (June 27, Miami)
The home of Atlas FC will serve as the official base camp of Colombia’s national team. The state-of-the-art performance centre, inaugurated in 2023, has six professional football fields and a sport science and medical centre.
Training: Episcopal High School Sports Complex Accommodation: Hotel AKA Alexandria Fixtures: England (June 17, Dallas), Panama (June 23, Toronto), USA (June 27, Philadelphia)
Podium finishers in 2022, Croatia enter the 2026 tournament as one of its dark horses. The European side have chosen none of their group-stage fixture venues for their base camp and will be based in Virginia.
Training: Florida Atlantic University Accommodation: The Marriott Fixtures: Germany (June 14, Houston), Ecuador (June 20, Kansas City), Ivory Coast (June 25, Philadelphia)
Curacao will join fellow debutants Cape Verde in Florida, but will be based in Boca Raton. The team’s accommodation is just a 10-minute drive from the training facility.
The nation of roughly 150,000 people will support The Blue Wave as they look to make a splash in the tournament.
Training: Mansfield Multipurpose Stadium Accommodation: The Sheraton, Fort Worth Fixtures: South Korea (June 11, Guadalajara), South Africa (June 18, Atlanta), Mexico (June 24, Mexico City)
The state-of-the-art stadium in Texas, set to open this year, will host Czechia and later serve as the home for North Texas SC. The team, returning to the World Cup after 20 years, will stay approximately 40 minutes away from the training facility.
Training: Houston Sports Park Accommodation: Omni Houston Hotel Fixtures: Portugal (June 17, Houston), Colombia (June 23, Guadalajara), Uzbekistan (June 27, Atlanta)
The last time DR Congo took to the World Cup pitch, the West African nation was known as Zaire.
The Leopards return to the global tournament for the first time since 1974 and have chosen Houston as their base camp, where they will train at a multipurpose sports facility, home to MLS club Houston Dynamo FC and hosts the US women’s football league at its eight professional playing fields.
Training: Columbus Crew Performance Centre Accommodation: Le Meridien Columbus, The Joseph Fixtures: Ivory Coast( June 14, Philadelphia), Curacao (June 20, Kansas City), Germany (June 25, New York-New Jersey)
With Moises Caicedo cleared to play in Ecuador’s opener against the Ivory Coast, La Tri will look to go beyond the group stage at the World Cup.
Ecuador, boasting one of the youngest squads at the tournament, will be a 10-minute drive from the performance centre that is home to MLS side Columbus Crew.
Training: Gonzaga University Accommodation: Northern Quest Resort and Casino Fixtures: Belgium (June 15, Seattle), New Zealand (June 21, Vancouver), Iran (June 26, Seattle)
Egypt’s decision to make a base camp in Washington aligns with the team’s group stage match schedule. Mohamed Salah’s side will be centred on the west coast of both Canada and the US.
Training: Swope Soccer Centre Accommodation: The Inn at Meadowbrook Fixtures: Croatia (June 17, Dallas), Ghana (June 23, Boston), Panama (June 27, New York-New Jersey)
Three’s a party as England, Argentina and the Netherlands have all chosen Kansas City, Missouri as their base camp. Harry Kane’s side will be roughly 20 minutes away from their training centre.
Training: Bentley University Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel, Boston Fixtures: Senegal (June 16, New York-New Jersey), Iraq (June 22, Philadelphia), Norway (June 26, Boston)
Two-time champions France will stay 20 minutes from their training facility at Bentley University. According to the university, courses will continue without interruption, while the French team will be provided additional security to ensure their safety on campus.
One of the top favourites to win the World Cup, Les Bleus will head to nearby New Jersey to kick off their campaign.
Training: Wake Forest University Accommodation: The Graylyn Estate Fixtures: Curacao (June 14, Houston), Ivory Coast (June 20, Toronto), Ecuador (June 25, New York-New Jersey)
Four-time champions Germany have chosen the W Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium as their training centre, reportedly one of the best collegiate football facilities in the US. The team’s choice of luxury boutique hotel Graylyn Estate was due to its proximity to the training facility and privacy, conditions that mimicked the team’s home ground in Herzogenaurach, according to head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
The team’s organising committee at Wake Forest University has already stated that there would be no access to the team either at their training facility or at Graylyn.
Training: Bryant University Accommodation: Unconfirmed Fixtures: Panama (June 17, Toronto), England (June 23, Boston), Croatia (June 27, Philadelphia)
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