In June, the attention of the world will turn to North America for the FIFA World Cup 2026TM, which will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Nations from around the world will send 48 teams to compete in 104 matches over 39 days in what is considered one of the largest sporting events on the planet. One of those teams will be training in the foothills of Montecito on the campus of Westmont College.

“Westmont will serve as a Team Base Camp training site for the FIFA World Cup 2026,” said Westmont’s Associate Athletic Director of Compliance Jeff Raymond, who serves as Westmont’s coordinator with FIFA – the global governing body for football (soccer).

“Each of the 48 teams selected a training site that best suited their needs, considering location, the quality of the training pitch, and available amenities. Qatar’s national team chose Westmont and will train on campus during the tournament’s pool-play portion.”

“It is an honor for our facilities to be chosen as a training site for one of the highest level sporting events in the world,” said Westmont’s director of athletics Robert Ruiz. “We are grateful to be chosen as a Team Base Camp training site by FIFA and will do everything we can as hosts to provide the highest level facilities and service during Qatar’s training on campus.”

“Providing a training environment for athletes preparing for the FIFA World Cup is a significant achievement for the Santa Barbara South Coast. We’re grateful for the opportunity to bring a second FIFA World Cup Team Base Camp to the region in partnership with Westmont College and local hotels,” said Kathy Janega-Dykes, president and CEO of Visit Santa Barbara, the area’s destination marketing organization.

“Hosting an international team during their training supports local businesses and hospitality jobs and reflects our community’s longstanding practice of welcoming visitors from around the world. It also reinforces the South Coast’s reputation as a destination capable of hosting high-profile national and international events in the future.”

“Westmont’s first experience with FIFA came a year ago, when Botafogo, a professional club from Brazil, trained on campus for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025,” noted Raymond. “At the conclusion of that event, FIFA encouraged a renewed application for 2026. Representatives from multiple national teams visited Westmont last fall, ahead of the FIFA World Cup draw in December.

“Qatar will begin training at Westmont ahead of its opening match against Switzerland on June 13 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The team will continue training in Santa Barbara between its additional pool-play matches against Canada in Vancouver on June 18 and against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on June 24. If Qatar advances to the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout rounds, the team will move to a new training location.”

Westmont’s Thorrington Field will serve as Qatar’s primary training site. In addition to serving as the home field for Westmont’s collegiate teams, the venue has previously hosted training sessions for both men’s and women’s professional teams, as well as the U.S. Women’s National Team.

Training sessions during the FIFA World Cup 2026 are not open to the public.