America’s men’s national soccer team has selected the Great Park Sports Complex in Irvine, California as their official training headquarters for the 2026 World Cup tournament this summer.
The U.S. Soccer Federation made the announcement Tuesday, revealing their choice of the Southern California facility.
The training site sits strategically within 50 miles of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where the American squad will compete in two of their three preliminary round contests. Their remaining group match is scheduled for Seattle.
If the United States finishes first in their group, their opening elimination round game would take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The Great Park facility boasts 24 soccer fields, featuring a stadium with more than 5,000 seats that serves as home to Orange County SC of the USL Championship league. The national team will conduct their training sessions at the stadium, with practices closed to spectators.
Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer’s sporting director, expressed enthusiasm about the selection. “We are delighted to have Great Park as our training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Crocker stated. “The facilities are simply outstanding and will provide the perfect training environment for our team to prepare to be successful at the World Cup.”
Irvine’s Mayor Larry Agran also welcomed the decision. “We are honored that the U.S. Men’s National Team has chosen to train at the Great Park during the FIFA World Cup,” Agran commented. “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.”
Reports from The Athletic indicate that U.S. Soccer initially pursued UC Irvine as their training base, but negotiations between the university and FIFA failed to produce an agreement. The federation subsequently shifted their focus to the Great Park location.
Before World Cup competition begins, the American team has scheduled four exhibition matches: Belgium on March 28 and Portugal on March 31, both in Atlanta; Senegal on May 31 in Charlotte; and Germany on June 6 in Chicago.
The United States kicks off Group D competition against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, followed by Australia on June 19 in Seattle. Their final group stage encounter on June 25 in Inglewood will pit them against whichever team emerges from a UEFA playoff involving Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey, or Romania.
