Iran national soccer team to train in Tucson ahead of World Cup

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to the United States, and one national team has selected Tucson, Arizona as its training base. FC Tucson's Kino Sports Complex has been chosen as the official team base camp training site for the Iran national soccer team during the tournament.

Why it matters

This announcement highlights Tucson's growing reputation as a destination for elite-level soccer, as the city's Kino Sports Complex has been selected to host Iran's national team during their World Cup preparations. It also showcases Arizona's ability to attract major international sporting events, even if the state itself is not hosting any World Cup matches.

The details

Iran's national team will use the Kino Sports Complex, home of the USL League One club FC Tucson, as their training base ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The team will arrive in Tucson some time before the competition begins to get settled and hold practices, taking advantage of the complex's world-class facilities. This will require FC Tucson to make adjustments to their own training, match scheduling, and facility operations to accommodate the national team.

• The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 13, 2026.
• Iran's national team will play their first three World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on June 15 and June 21, and at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 26.

What’s next

With most of the World Cup matches taking place in the United States, teams are finalizing plans on where they would like to have a base camp. Such places are typically not a long flight from where a team will play its matches.