World Cup squads establish training bases across North America as crypto sponsors circle the tournament

The largest World Cup in history is taking shape across the continent. All 48 participating nations have been assigned Team Base Camp locations spanning the US, Mexico, and Canada, turning dozens of communities into temporary homes for the world’s best soccer squads ahead of the tournament’s mid-June kickoff.

Of those 48 teams, 39 will be based somewhere in the US, 7 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada. FIFA finalized these TBC sites between May 25 and June 1, covering 25 communities beyond the designated host cities where actual matches will be played.

A logistical puzzle across three nations

The scale of this operation is unprecedented. Previous World Cups were hosted by a single country, or at most two (as with Japan and South Korea in 2002). Spreading 48 squads across three nations introduces layers of complexity in travel logistics, time zones, altitude differences, and facility standards that organizers have never had to manage simultaneously.

High-performance training centers are being pressed into service across the continent. Argentina, for example, will reportedly use the Sporting KC Training Center as their base, giving them access to professional-grade facilities while they prepare for group stage matches.

The 25 non-host communities selected for TBC duty stand to benefit from the arrangement. Teams bring entourages of staff, media, and fans. For smaller cities that didn’t land a host venue, having a national team set up shop for several weeks is a meaningful economic event.

FIFA’s expanded 48-team format, up from 32 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, means more teams staying longer and spreading further across the map.

Crypto finds its way onto the pitch

Kraken was announced as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 9, making it one of the most prominent crypto-sports partnerships to date. The exchange is positioning the deal as a gateway to broader cryptocurrency acceptance across North America and Europe, targeting an estimated audience of around six billion viewers globally.

Kraken isn’t the only digital asset player circling the tournament. Chiliz, the company behind fan tokens for major sports organizations, is expected to integrate its tokens into fan engagement initiatives during the event. Chainlink’s oracle infrastructure is also set to power prediction markets tied to tournament outcomes. Neither of these initiatives touches the logistics of the training camps themselves.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.