Qatar to Set Up World Cup Base Camp in Santa Barbara, California

The Qatar Football Association has confirmed that it will set up is 2026 FIFA World Cup base camp in Santa Barbara, California.

“Al Annabi,” or “The Maroons,” will use the UC Santa Barbara Westmont College sports facilities in Montecito as their training base during the tournament and stay nearby at the Courtyard by Marriott Santa Barbara Goleta Hotel, according to the QFA.  The training site also features facilities for baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo.

Westmont has previously hosted professional and national soccer teams at its campus, including MLS franchises and the U.S. Women’s National Team. It also hosted Botafogo from Brazil during last year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

Julen Lopetegui’s side qualified for their first FIFA World Cup via a qualifying phase back in October. Qatar hosted the last World Cup in 2022, the first to be hosted in the Middle East, but qualified automatically as hosts and exited in the group stage with three losses out of three.

Qatar will begin their Group B World Cup campaign in Santa Clara against Switzerland on June 13, before facing co-hosts Canada in Vancouver on June 18. Its final group stage game will be against a European continental play-off path winner (either Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina) in Seattle on June 24.

FIFA World Cup Preparations

Read the full list of confirmed base camps so far here.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which has been expanded to 48 teams, will begin with Mexico vs. South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City, with the final being held on July 19 in New York New Jersey.