photo by: Chance Parker

Kansas hosts Ohio State during the collegiate soccer season opener at Rock Chalk Park on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022.

Lawrence has been selected as one of the possible “base camp” locations for an international soccer team to live and train during the 2026 World Cup, FIFA announced on Wednesday.

FIFA released the first edition of its Team Base Camp Brochure, which includes 24 locations at which some of the 48 qualifying teams for the World Cup may choose to set up shop during the summer of 2026. One of the possible base camp setups would have athletes train at the University of Kansas’ facilities and live at the nearby StoneHill hotel on Rock Chalk Drive.

Last summer, local business leaders had expressed optimism about the potential economic infusion that hosting a base camp could provide to the city of Lawrence.

“It would allow us to showcase cultural attractions, sporting events, downtown, retail, bars and restaurants,” said Bonnie Lowe, president and CEO of the Lawrence chamber of commerce, in June 2023. “They would all benefit when that occurs, and I’m hopeful that it will.”

Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, added at the time that a base camp in Lawrence could yield economic impact “definitely in the millions.”

While not every prospective base camp location is directly attached to a host city for the competition, Lawrence has the advantage of proximity to Kansas City’s GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which is one of 16 host venues (11 of which are in the United States) for the 2026 competition.

Other base camp locations in the Kansas City area include Sporting KC’s training center in Kansas City, Kansas, paired with the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center; and the KC Current training facility in Riverside, Missouri, paired with Hyatt’s downtown Hotel Kansas City.

FIFA plans to add more cities to the list of potential base camps over the course of the next year and a half.

Teams will pick their base camps once they receive their matchups and group assignments for the competition. According to FIFA’s press release, “The draw, anticipated to be staged in late 2025, will reveal the geographic zones in which teams will play their group matches, further guiding their decisions regarding their respective Team Base Camp locations.”