U.S. National Team Chooses Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine as Training Base for 2026 World Cup
The U.S. national team has chosen a municipal facility in Orange County, California, as its training base for the upcoming World Cup matches on the West Coast. The team will utilize the Championship Soccer Stadium and facilities at Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine starting June 7. They will play their Group D matches at SoFi Stadium in Greater Los Angeles and then return to Irvine for training before their final group match back at SoFi Stadium on June 25.
The decision to train at Great Park instead of Crawford Field at UC Irvine was made late in the process for reasons that were not immediately disclosed. The facilities at Great Park were praised by USSF sporting director Matt Crocker for providing an excellent training environment for the team. The team hotel was not revealed, but FIFA's recommended properties in the area include a Marriott in Irvine and the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel.
Great Park Sports Complex, located on a former Marine Corps Air Station, boasts a 5,000-seat soccer stadium and 24 soccer fields, among other athletic facilities. The park opened in 2017 and is home to Orange County SC. Teams participating in the World Cup have the option of using John Wayne Airport in nearby Santa Ana for charter flights to other cities hosting matches.
Several other national teams have also announced their base camps for the World Cup, with most teams choosing locations in the U.S. for their training. The U.S. team's previous training bases for World Cup tournaments this century were in various locations around the world, including Sao Paulo, Pretoria, Hamburg, and Seoul.
As part of the agreement with Irvine, the Soccer Forward Foundation will conduct a community-based coaching development program this spring. While U.S. training sessions will be closed to the public, FIFA requires teams to host one limited community event during their residency. Details for the U.S. team's community event have yet to be determined.
The selection of Great Park Sports Complex as the training base for the U.S. men's national team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup is seen as a significant moment for the park and the community, according to Great Park Board chair William Go.