NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Kansas City, Kansas – With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just three months away, cities across the United States are racing to finish the training facilities that national teams will call home during the global tournament.
Among them is Kansas City, which will serve as base camp for the defending champion Argentina national soccer team, a major win for the region as it prepares to welcome both players and tens of thousands of international fans.
Base camps are critical to World Cup operations. They serve as a venue where teams live, train and recover while traveling between match venues during the competition.
WORLD CUP 2026: WHICH ARE THE HOST COUNTRIES, CITIES AND STADIUMS?
Posters for the 2026 World Cup are on display in Kansas City, one of the tournament’s host cities. (Olivianna Calmes)
“From private practice fields to player recovery rooms, these facilities are designed to house some of the biggest names in soccer,” said Alan Dietrich, who has worked closely with organizers.
Local leaders have spent more than a year pitching their cities to international teams, hoping to showcase not only the sporting facilities but also the community at large.
“We actually started over a year ago with countries starting to visit each other,” Dietrich said.
WORLD CUP DEMAND CAUSES ACCOMMODATION FIGHT IN KANSAS CITY
Tourism officials say the opportunity extends far beyond the sport itself. Hosting a base camp allows cities to present themselves to global audiences and build long-term international relationships.
To show their support for Kansas City’s bid for the 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup, the KC2026 Bid Committee and Outfront Media installed a 90 x 90 foot banner on Main Street in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“We knew the World Cup was going to be our first opportunity and probably our biggest opportunity to get involved in these international markets,” said Devin Aaron of Visit KC.
A locker room displays the sign “We are FIFA 2026 Kansas City” at the Sporting KC training facility (Olivianna Calmes)
Early expectations were that Argentina would be based in Miami, but Kansas City ultimately stood out during the selection process.
“When Argentina visited, they really loved it here,” Dietrich said. “They loved our facilities, they loved our people.”
The team will train at Sporting Kansas City’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center, a state-of-the-art facility in Kansas City, Kansas, which will serve as Argentina’s training base during the tournament.
THERE ARE LESS THAN 100 DAYS UNTIL THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The complex features multiple professional-grade fields and elite-level training facilities designed for international competition.
Inside, players will have access to private dining rooms, meeting rooms and dedicated recovery spaces designed to help them rest between games.
A bathroom for the World Cup players (Olivianna Calmes)
“If they’ve traveled a lot and are tired, they can come here, turn off the lights and take a nice nap,” Dietrich added.
Up to 100,000 Argentine fans are expected to travel to Kansas City during the tournament, a preview of the global crowds that will flood World Cup host cities across the United States.
Across the United States, host cities and base camps are preparing for similar surges, as teams finalize training sites and fans follow their national teams.
US Cities Hosting World Cup Games (Pak Gazette)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, expanding from 32 to 48 teams and encompassing host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with each location competing for global visibility and long-term economic impact.
