Grand Park considered as team training base camp site for 2026 World Cup

The 400-acre Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield opened in 2014 and draws as many as 2 million people per year for sports tournaments and other events. In 2018, the Indianapolis Colts moved its training camp to Grand Park. (IBJ file photo)

Despite missing the cut to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, central Indiana is still in the running to play a role in soccer’s biggest event.

Westfield’s Grand Park Sports Campus was selected as one of 24 potential locations to serve as a team base camp training site during the group stage—early rounds—of the 48-country soccer tournament that will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada in June and July 2026.

FIFA announced more details of the tournament Wednesday, one day after the two-year mark before the kickoff on June 11, 2026, at Mexico City. The first World Cup to be played in three nations and the first with a field expanded to 48 nations will see 78 of 104 games played in the United States and 13 each in Mexico and Canada.

The final will be July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All games from the quarterfinals onward will be played in the U.S.

FIFA on Wednesday announced nine cities (in addition to the 16 tournament host cities) that are eligible to host team base camps. The 48 teams in the World Cup can choose from the list of sites to establish their “homes away from home”—the hub from where they will travel to their first three matches and where players, staff and officials will spend the majority of their time during the group stage.

The international sports governing body said it will add further sites to the list over the next 18 months in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The local bid to participate in the World Cup  as a team hub includes a collaboration with the Renaissance Indianapolis North hotel, 11925 N. Meridian St., which would provide lodging for any team that chooses Westfield as its hub.

Teams won’t choose a base camp until after the World Cup draw, which will reveal the geographic zones in which teams will play their group matches.

Grand Park would provide training and practice facilities for teams, as well as additional resources during the early portions of the tournament.

“Westfield and Grand Park are excited about this opportunity to potentially host FIFA World Cup members and provide a world-class training facility for FIFA teams,” Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said in written remarks. “Today’s announcement further validates Grand Park’s world-renowned reputation as one of the most visited sports venues in the country, hosting Indy Eleven, NFL training camps or youth sports tournaments. It is clear our community is being noticed and recognized around the world, which is a huge economic driver for the city.”

Other cities announced Wednesday as potential base camps besides Westfield were Chattanooga, Tennessee; Cincinnati; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Louisville; St. Louis; Salt Lake City and Herriman, Utah; and San Antonio.

Indianapolis was one of 44 cities to throw its hat into the ring in 2017 to host 2026 World Cup matches, planning to do so at Lucas Oil Stadium. But the city missed the cut as part of the official bid from the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Kansas City is the only Midwestern city that will host matches during the event.

Heimo Schirgi, chief operating officer for the World Cup, said in written remarks that training sites offer an opportunity for cities not hosting events to be part of the action.

“Even if a city is not staging matches, a participating team coming to stay creates a strong personal bond with the competition for people locally,” he said. “It will see them adopt their guests as a second team during the tournament, thereby connecting even more people to the FIFA World Cup.”

Westfield, which owns and currently operates Grand Park, collaborated on its bid along with Keystone Group, Indy Eleven soccer—which has its training facilities at the campus—and Bullpen Ventures. Those firms are working with the city on an operating agreement to take over management of Grand Park.

“We are thrilled that the City of Westfield has been chosen by FIFA as one of its initial Team Base Camp locations,” said Greg Stremlaw, president and CEO of the Indy Eleven. “As part of the Grand Park Sports & Entertainment partnership, we strive to offer an exceptional experience at the Grand Park Sports Campus for soccer players of all ages. With our Indy Eleven Academy, Pro Academy, W League and professional First Team taking advantage of the exceptional facilities, we are excited to have the opportunity to show a broader audience what Indy Eleven, in partnership with the City of Westfield, has to offer the World’s Game on the biggest stage.”