KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Chattanooga has officially been selected as the Team Base Camp for the Spain National Football Team, marking a historic moment for the city’s soccer community.
One of the world’s most iconic and successful squads—commonly known as La Roja—will call Chattanooga home as it prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place June 11 through July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Spain will train at Baylor School’s cutting-edge soccer complex. Beyond training grounds, Spain’s players, families, media representatives and supporting delegations will eat, live and stay in downtown Chattanooga.
Spain’s selection of Chattanooga came after a rigorous evaluation process by team officials and tournament partners. Organizers assessed training sites across North America, evaluating field quality, privacy, security, infrastructure and proximity to match venues. Chattanooga met every benchmark, earning the confidence of the Spanish federation and tournament organizers.
According to Barry White, CEO of Chattanooga Tourism Co., the city’s selection represents years of groundwork and vision.
“When we first heard about this opportunity, we knew we wanted to be a host city,” White explained. “We started by hosting Auckland City FC last summer—they’re out of New Zealand and played a few games here.”
That trial run set the stage for Spain, the top ranked team heading into the FIFA World Cup, to pick Chattanooga.
“We hope they enjoy their three weeks here,” White said. “We’re sure the families are going to get out and see the community and explore a little bit. And hopefully the athletes will have the opportunity to do that as well. We’re going to call them our team, and we’re going to hope that they do fantastic throughout the entire tournament.”
While final contract details are still being wrapped up, there will be opportunities for locals and visitors to see team in person.
“There will be some community exposure, perhaps meet-and-greets or the chance to watch a practice session at another field,” White noted. “We’re hoping members of the public will have the ability to come out and see them before they get off to play their matches.”
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