ST. LOUIS – FIFA has named St. Louis among a group of cities that could host a team base camp for the 2026 World Cup.
According to a Wednesday news release from FIFA, Saint Louis University could serve as a “home away from home” training camp site in two years with the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis as the paired hotel.
St. Louis will not host World Cup games during the premier soccer event’s next go-around. However, some World Cup matchups will be played within the state of Missouri, specifically Kansas City.
The “home and home” arrangement allows teams the opportunity to establish a consistent base of operations around the World Cup and a training environment that’s perhaps more stable than the host cities.
The final draw for the World Cup’s 48 teams and match locations will be held in late 2025. From there, a team playing in Kansas City or somewhere else nearby geographically could consider St. Louis as a base camp location.
Other potential non-host cities named as potential “home away from home” sites include Cincinnati, Chattanooga, Green Bay, Irvine, Louisville, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and Westfield.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to be played in three nations and the first with a field expanded to 48 nations. The United States will host 78 of 104 games. There will also be 13 each in Mexico and Canada.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City. The final will be July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All games from the quarterfinals on will be in the U.S.
FIFA is expected to announce more potential training camp sites sometime before the final draw.
