New Zealand National Team Chooses USD as World Cup Home Base

The New Zealand Men's National Football Team announced that USD will serve as its base camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The team will train at Torero Stadium and is staying at a nearby hotel.

The national team said San Diego holds an important place in the country's sports history — New Zealand won its first America's Cup here in 1995 — and added that USD is a prime location.

“San Diego offers a great combination of the criteria we were looking for, from a really high-quality training pitch at Torero Stadium, to an ideal hotel for the team," said New Zealand head coach Darren Bazeley. “We look forward to working with the city over the next few months to really get to know the place and hope to have all 1.4 million San Diegans taking us on as their second team.”

Their first World Cup match is just up the road in Los Angeles, against Iran. Their second and third matches will be in Vancouver, against Egypt and Belgium.