With less than 100 days remaining before the ball starts rolling at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the 48 national teams are finalizing details on where they’ll train and stay. California will host two World Cup venues: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Levi’ s Stadium in Santa Clara. Although San Diego will not host any matches, its proximity to cities such as Los Angeles and even Seattle, combined with its favorable climate and modern sports facilities, makes it an attractive option for many national teams. So far, Switzerland and New Zealand have confirmed San Diego as their training ground during the 2026 World Cup. Switzerland will train at the San Diego Jewish Academy Switzerland was the first national team to select San Diego. The European side will stay at the luxury Fairmont Grand Del Mar hotel, a property that FIFA describes on its website as “a five-star resort offering a wide range of dining options, spa services, wellness and leisure facilities, as well as meeting spaces and private areas.” For training, the Swiss team will use the facilities at San Diego Jewish Academy in La Jolla, which features a natural grass soccer field along with modern sports amenities, including a gym and six tennis courts. Swiss head coach Murat Yakin highlighted Southern California’s tranquility and pleasant climate as key factors in the decision. “We wanted a place where we could relax, recharge, train at our highest level, and fully focus on our tasks. San Diego offers exactly that environment,” he said. SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 18: Players training in San Diego, CA. (Photo by Alan Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Switzerland is expected to play at least one friendly match before the World Cup begins. The team will make its tournament debut on June 13 against Qatar in Santa Clara. Its second match will take place on June 18 in Los Angeles against one of the winners of the intercontinental playoff, which could include Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, or Bosnia and Herzegovina. Switzerland will close the group stage on June 24 against Canada in Vancouver. New Zealand will train at the USD’s Torero Stadium New Zealand has selected Torero Stadium at the University of San Diego—the former home of San Diego Loyal—as its training facility. The team is expected to stay at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, one of the accommodation options offered by FIFA and located less than 20 minutes from Torero Stadium. New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley expressed his satisfaction with the decision to base the team in the city. “San Diego offers an excellent combination of the criteria we were looking for, from a top-quality training field at Torero Stadium to an ideal hotel for the team. We look forward to working with the city over the coming months to get to know it better, and we hope the 1.4 million residents of San Diego will adopt us as their second team,” he said. New Zealand will open its tournament campaign on June 16 in Los Angeles against Iran. The team’s remaining group-stage matches will be played in Vancouver: against Egypt on June 22 and against Belgium on June 27. Several national teams across California In addition to Switzerland and New Zealand in San Diego, several other national teams have confirmed California as their home base during the World Cup. Qatar and Austria have both chosen Santa Barbara to prepare for their tournament matches. The Qatari team will stay at the Courtyard Marriott, while Austria will be based at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara. Further north, Australia has also confirmed its presence in the state. The Socceroos will be based in the Oakland area and will train at the Soul Training Facility used by Oakland Roots.  Other training bases in the United States Elsewhere in the country, some of the favorites to win the World Cup have also begun selecting their training bases. Spain will be based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while reigning world champions Argentina have chosen Kansas City, which will also serve as England’s base. France will train in Boston, while Brazil has selected New Jersey as the hub of its preparations for the 2026 World Cup. This story was translated from Spanish with the help of AI tools. An NBC San Diego journalist edited this article for publication. ...read more read less