U.S. Men’s National Team to Train in Irvine Ahead of 2026 World Cup
During his annual State of the City address, Mayor Larry Agran announced that the USMNT selected Irvine’s Great Park for its World Cup training base.
Photo credit The Vine
The U.S. Men’s National Team chose to train in Irvine during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mayor Larry Agran made the announcement that the team will call the Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium its official Team Base Camp training site during his State of the City address at City Hall on March 10.
The team will use the stadium at the Great Park Sports Complex to prepare for matches during the tournament from June 11 to July 19. City leaders said the selection reflects Irvine’s growing reputation as a destination for elite sports training.
“We are honored that the U.S. Men’s National Team has chosen to train at the Great Park during the FIFA World Cup,” Mayor Larry Agran said in a press release issued after his official address. “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.”
U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker said the Great Park’s facilities will provide an ideal training environment as the team prepares for the tournament.
“The facilities are simply outstanding and will provide the perfect training environment for our team to prepare to be successful at the World Cup,” Crocker said.
City leaders said the selection reflects Irvine’s growing reputation as a destination for elite sports training.
“We are honored that the U.S. Men’s National Team has chosen to train at the Great Park during the FIFA World Cup,” Mayor Larry Agran said in a statement. “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.”
U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker said the Great Park’s facilities will provide an ideal training environment as the team prepares for the tournament.
“The facilities are simply outstanding and will provide the perfect training environment for our team to prepare to be successful at the World Cup,” Crocker said.
Built in 2017, the stadium seats more than 5,000 spectators and regularly hosts youth, amateur, and professional soccer competitions. While raining sessions during the tournament will not be open to the public, but city officials say community programming tied to the World Cup is already planned.
In April, the Soccer Forward Foundation, U.S. Soccer’s legacy and social impact initiative, will partner with the City of Irvine and local organizations to host educational sessions for local soccer coaches. The program is designed to provide training, tools, and resources to support youth players and strengthen the region’s soccer community.
Additional details about a welcome event in April and a potential community day will be announced in the coming weeks.
Councilmember William Go, chair of the Great Park Board, said hosting the national team marks a major milestone for the park.
“Hosting the U.S. Men’s National Team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a once-in-a-generation moment for the park and a proud milestone for our entire community,” Go said.
The 2026 tournament will be the largest in World Cup history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches. The United States will compete on home soil for the first time in more than three decades. The USMNT’s game against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on June 12 will open the tournament.