Côte d’Ivoire Picks Philadelphia Union’s Stadium as FIFA World Cup Base Camp

Côte d’Ivoire, also known as Ivory Coast, has officially selected Subaru Park, Philadelphia Union’s stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania, as its team base camp training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Union’s all-in-one waterfront facility on their Chester, PA campus includes Subaru Park, eight professional-grade training pitches, a dedicated match pitch for their MLS NEXT Pro team, team offices and a high school for academy players. Last July, the franchise unveiled a $100 million expansion to the campus in preparation for this year’s FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, the team’s hotel and headquarters will be in Wilmington, Delaware, although the exact accommodation has not yet been announced.

“When one of France’s all-time great defenders and a 1998 FIFA World Cup champion in Marcel Desailly says the Côte d’Ivoire has what it takes to reach the last four of this tournament, it’s easy to understand why the Côte d’Ivoire Federation would select such an elite team base camp in the Philadelphia Union’s Stadium,” said Meg Kane, host city executive and CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026. “Côte d’Ivoire was one of two unbeaten group winners that did not concede a goal in its 10 outings during qualifying. This is a team to be reckoned with in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and Philadelphia, Chester, and our entire region love a team to be reckoned with.

“We welcome Les Éléphants to Philadelphia Union’s stadium as their home away from home and promise to show them the best of what we have to offer during their time here this summer.”

“Hosting Côte d’Ivoire on our campus is a tremendous honor for the Philadelphia Union and our entire region,” said Philadelphia Union President Tim McDermott. “We’ve built one of the most unique sports campuses in North America specifically to support and develop world-class soccer, and there’s no better validation of that vision than welcoming recent African champions to train here.

“From Chester to Wilmington to Philadelphia, this is an incredible opportunity to showcase the passion, hospitality, and excellence of our facilities and our soccer community on the global stage.”

Côte d’Ivoire will be participating in their fourth Men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026 and their first since 2014 in Brazil.

They will play two Group E games at Lincoln Financial Field (home to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles) in Philadelphia, firstly on June 14 against Ecuador and then on June 25 against Curaçao, which will be their final group stage match. Their second and middle game against Germany will be played in Toronto on June 20.

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.