World Cup 2026 Teams Establish Base Camps in Unexpected US Locations

For the upcoming World Cup 2026, a number of national football teams have established their base camps in a variety of locations across the United States, including boarding schools and smaller towns.

Spain, considered among the tournament favorites, has set up its camp at the Baylor School, a boarding school situated on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga. The city is one of several designated as World Cup 2026 base camps, where teams will reside and train between matches. Local excitement for Spain's presence is evident, with around 25,000 people entering a lottery for 1,000 tickets to watch a practice session at Baylor School.

Meanwhile, Iraq's national team is based in a mountain resort town in West Virginia with a population under 3,000. Germany has chosen Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with practice tickets at Wake Forest University selling out within four minutes. The local community in Winston-Salem has shown strong support, with bars extending hours and creating German-inspired menus for watch parties.

Teams selected their preferred FIFA-approved base camps from across North America, with higher-ranked nations receiving earlier picks. Spain reportedly chose Chattanooga over larger cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, working with Baylor School to develop extensive headquarters around its training fields and media facilities. FIFA inspectors evaluated Baylor's facilities, including the condition of the grass pitches and their drainage and irrigation systems. To maintain the pitches for Spain, Baylor’s own players trained on artificial turf during the spring.

According to Yahoo Sports Soccer, this marks 32 years since the United States first hosted the world's biggest sporting competition.