Before the 2026 World Cup, the national teams' camp centers where they will stay throughout the tournament have been determined. Teams mostly chose these bases—where they travel to and from matches during the group stage and rest—among cities, university facilities, and luxury hotels.
Out of the 48 teams in the tournament, 39 selected the USA as their camp location. While some teams preferred large cities like San Diego and Houston, Austria chose Goleta, and Bosnia and Herzegovina selected Sandy in Utah.
Proximity to stadiums was not always the deciding factor in choosing camp locations. Bosnia and Herzegovina's choice of St. Louis was influenced by the fact that the largest Bosnian community outside Europe lives in that city.
Iran presented a special case. The Iranian National Team, which will play its three group stage matches in the USA, designated Tijuana as its camp center; previously, the team was planned to stay in Tucson, Arizona.
However, due to military tensions between the two countries, this plan changed, and the team moved south of the border. In March, Donald Trump stated that while Iran's participation in the tournament was welcomed, it was not appropriate for security reasons.
FIFA rejected Iran's request to hold its group matches in Mexico. Nevertheless, the team was allowed to change its camp location at the last minute before the world finals.
Host country Mexico will stay in the capital. Canada chose Vancouver, while Panama was the only team in North America to opt for the Nottawasaga Training Site in New Tecumseth.
This choice stood out because the other teams in their group set up camp in the USA. The facility chosen by Panama had been used previously for football camps.
On the Swiss side, Murat Yakin's players planned to bike from the San Diego Jewish Academy to the training field. This approximately 7-kilometer route was part of the coach's warm-up idea.
However, the plan was quickly changed. Due to rattlesnakes around the facility, local authorities only allowed players to travel to the field by bus.
It later emerged that this warning was part of a joke made by the Swiss side. Midfielder Michel Aebischer explained that it was a humorous element and said there is currently no real danger.
