USMNT Selects Irvine’s Great Park for 2026 FIFA World Cup Base Camp

U.S. Soccer has announced that the U.S. Men’s National Team will use Great Park in Irvine, California, as its official team base camp training site during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The USMNT will train at the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium, a premier facility that was constructed in 2017 on the former site of the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and can accommodate up to 6,500 spectators. The FIFA-designated team base camp training site is the home of USL Championship outfit Orange County SC and is part of the 194-acre Great Park Sports Complex that also features locker rooms, multiple soccer fields, basketball courts and additional amenities for tennis, volleyball, baseball and softball.

Great Park itself includes sports fields, picnic areas, playgrounds, walking and biking trails, a historic aircraft exhibition, carousel and a tethered helium balloon.

The team’s accommodation during the tournament between matches and training sessions has not yet been announced publicly.

Although training sessions during the tournament will not be open to the public, information regarding a welcome event in April and a potential community day will be made available within the next week.

Furthermore, the Soccer Forward Foundation, the legacy and social impact initiative of U.S. Soccer, will partner with the city of Irvine and local organizations to deliver community-based coaching development programming in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup from next month. The initiative is designed to equip local coaches with training, tools and resources to help them better support and inspire young people in their communities.

USMNT Schedule

It will be the USMNT’s 12th participation in the Men’s FIFA World Cup and its first time hosting the tournament since 1994. Founded in 1913, the team’s best performance in the competition was a third-place finish in the inaugural edition in Uruguay in 1930, and they reached the round-of-16 in Qatar four years ago.

As part of their preparations for this year’s tournament, they will play Belgium and Portugal during the March international break before welcoming Senegal to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Germany in Atlanta, Georgia, for more friendly matches prior to their arrival at Irvine.

The USMNT will compete in Group D at its home FIFA World Cup, beginning in Los Angeles on June 12 against Paraguay. They will then head to Seattle to take on Australia on June 19 before returning to Los Angeles to meet an intercontinental play-off winner (either Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo) on June 25.

Reaction

“We are honored that the U.S. Men’s National Team has chosen to train at the Great Park during the FIFA World Cup,” said Irvine Mayor Larry Agran. “This decision reflects the caliber of the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium and the professionalism of the staff who operate it. Irvine is proud to welcome the players, coaches, and supporters from around the world to our great City for one of the world’s most celebrated sporting events.”

“We are delighted to have the Great Park as our training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” said U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker. “The facilities are simply outstanding and will provide the perfect training environment for our team to prepare to be successful at the World Cup.”

“Moments like this create an incredible opportunity to connect the world’s biggest sporting event with the communities that make the game special,” said Lex Chalat, executive director of the Soccer Forward Foundation. “Through Soccer Forward, we are proud to partner with the City of Irvine and local organizations to equip coaches with the tools, training, and support they need to positively impact young people. By investing in the leaders who bring the game to life in their communities, we can ensure the momentum of the World Cup creates lasting opportunities for the next generation.”

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.