The 2026 FIFA World Cup took a new step in its organization after the operational bases of the 48 participating teams were officially confirmed. And within all the chosen cities, Kansas City appeared as one of the great protagonists of the tournament.

The American city will be the temporary home of some of the most important teams in world soccer, including Argentina, England, Holland and Algeria, consolidating itself as one of the main epicenters of the tournament that will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The United States will be the great operational center of the 2026 World Cup

Of the 48 participating teams, a total of 39 teams chose to establish their base camp in the United States, well above Mexico and Canada.

Sports infrastructure, air connectivity and the quality of training complexes were key factors for most federations to opt for US territory.

Cities such as Boston, Dallas, New York/New Jersey, Nashville, Portland, San Diego and Kansas City will play a strategic role during the tournament, even though several of them will not host as many games as other official venues.

Kansas City will host Lionel Messi and other top teams

One of the points that drew the most attention after FIFA's announcement was the choice of Kansas City by several high-profile international teams.

The team that will defend the world title, Argentina, will use the training center of Sporting KC of the MLS as its operational base during the tournament.

In addition, England will work at Swope Soccer Village, while the Netherlands chose the KC Current facilities and Algeria will settle at the University of Kansas.

The concentration of elite teams will make Kansas City one of the cities with the greatest media attention and fan presence during the World Cup.

FIFA highlights the impact outside the host cities

Although much of the spotlight tends to focus on the official match venues, FIFA stressed the importance that the operational bases will have for the complete tournament experience.

“Operational bases are a fundamental part of the fabric that sustains any World Cup,” said Heimo Schirgi, director of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Operations Division.

"It is there where the teams take root, train and recover, and where they experience the daily evolution of the competition. The magnitude of the operation is unprecedented," he added.

The operational bases will be key for the World Cup atmosphere

The arrival of national teams will generate economic movement, tourism and media coverage in cities that do not normally focus global soccer attention.

Kansas City, for example, will not only receive training from top teams, but also international fans, media and activities related to the World Cup.

In addition to Kansas City, other American cities that will receive selections are:

Mexico and Canada will also have a presence in the World Cup

Although the United States will dominate the distribution of operational bases, Mexico and Canada will also receive teams during the World Cup.

Mexico will host seven teams, including Uruguay, Colombia, South Korea and the Mexican team itself.

For its part, Canada will host its national team and Panama.

FIFA highlighted that this distribution will allow more cities and fans to experience the atmosphere of the 2026 FIFA World Cup up close, considered the largest edition in the history of the tournament due to the number of participating teams.