Team USA Chooses Irvine as World Cup Base Camp
Mayor Larry Agran addresses 5,500 fans who gathered to cheer on the U.S. Men's National Team at the Great Park in Irvine.
Photo credit The Vine
After evaluating 27 facilities from Seattle to San Diego, U.S. Soccer selected Irvine's Great Park for the U.S. Men's National Team's home base for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s a decision city leaders celebrated on Monday, June 8, as 5,500 fans gathered for a public training session ahead of the tournament.
The event marked the first opportunity for members of the public to watch the team train in Irvine before opening World Cup play later this week. According to U.S. Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino, more than 33,000 people registered for the ticket lottery, underscoring the enthusiasm local fans have for the sport.
"When we came to Orange County, we felt this was our home," Pochettino told the crowd. "We chose that because of the people and because of the facility."
For city leaders, this event represented the culmination of years of planning.
"It was a little over five years ago that we saw an extraordinary opportunity to bring to Irvine the World Cup as a Team Base Camp training site," Mayor Larry Agran said. "We knew this would be a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to place Irvine on the global stage for the world's biggest sporting event."
The Great Park, built on the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, now serves as the team's training headquarters during the tournament. Agran noted the site's transformation from a military training facility into a venue worthy of hosting world-class athletes.
"Once a place where Americans trained to defend our nation,” said Agran, “This is now a place where Americans train to represent the United States of America."
Councilmember William Go, who represents the District 2 including the Great Park, said the impact of the team's presence will last beyond this summer's tournament.
"Young players who come here for practices and matches will now be able to say they train on the same pitch as the U.S. Men's National Team," Go said. "That is the true legacy of this moment."
The U.S. Men's National Team held a public training practice for local fans ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Media credit The Vine
That connection was already evident among many of the fans in attendance.
Christina Sidoti, a goalkeeper for the University of California, Riverside women's soccer team, attended the event with her mother, Tara. Sidoti said she was particularly interested in watching the national team's goalkeepers train and study their techniques. Like many fans, she remained despite the warm temperatures and limited shade inside the stadium.
The event also drew local youth soccer families. Lake Forest resident Wade Childers attended with his 12-year-old daughter, Adalyn, whose South Orange County AYSO team, the Silver Bullets, recently won its league championship. Childers said he was the only person in his office selected through the ticket lottery.
Adalyn recently broke her arm and was unable to participate in the playoffs, making the opportunity to attend the training session especially meaningful. The pair said they had never attended a professional soccer event before but were feeling more connected to Team USA and plan to watch World Cup games.
Throughout the morning, fans dressed in red, white and blue filled the stands and cheered as players took the field. Among them was DJ Leon, whose patriotic outfit drew attention from fellow spectators and reflected the celebratory atmosphere.
Photo credit The Vine
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins this week, is the largest in tournament history. 48 teams will compete across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. While the matches will be played across North America, Irvine now occupies a unique place in the tournament as the home base of Team USA.
Long after the final whistle is blown, city leaders hope the legacy of that selection, and the inspiration it provides to local athletes, will remain.