Santa Barbara County Gears Up to Host Two National Teams for 2026 FIFA World Cup

The South Coast will serve as an international soccer hub this summer when both Qatar and Austria establish their World Cup training bases in Santa Barbara County ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Westmont College in Montecito has been selected as the Team Base Camp for the Qatar men’s national team, while UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium in Goleta will host Austria’s national team during its tournament preparations.

The dual selection places Santa Barbara County among only a handful of communities nationwide chosen to host more than one team ahead of the world’s largest sporting event.

Qatar footballers will be staying at the Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito while the Austrian team will stay at Ritz Carlton Bacara in Goleta.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins June 11 and will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will be the largest in World Cup history, featuring 48 national teams competing in 104 matches over 39 days. According to tournament organizers, 39 national teams will be based in the United States during the competition.

Qatar at Westmont College

Qatar’s national team selected Westmont College’s Montecito campus as its training base for the tournament’s group stage. The team will train at Thorrington Field, which serves as the home venue for Westmont’s collegiate teams and has previously hosted training sessions for both men’s and women’s professional teams, as well as the U.S. Women’s National Team.

“Each of the 48 teams selected a training site that best suited their needs, considering location, the quality of the training pitch, and available amenities,” said Jeff Raymond, Westmont’s Associate Athletic Director of Compliance, who serves as the college’s coordinator with FIFA. “Qatar’s national team chose Westmont and will train on campus during the tournament’s pool-play portion.”

Qatar will begin training at Westmont ahead of its opening match against Switzerland on June 13 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The team will continue training in Santa Barbara between additional group stage matches against Canada in Vancouver on June 18 and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle on June 24. Should Qatar advance to the knockout rounds, the team will relocate to a new training location.

“It is an honor for our facilities to be chosen as a training site for one of the highest level sporting events in the world,” said Westmont Athletic Director Robert Ruiz. “We are grateful to be chosen as a Team Base Camp training site by FIFA and will do everything we can as hosts to provide the highest level facilities and service during Qatar’s training on campus.”

Westmont’s relationship with FIFA began last year when Botafogo, a Brazilian professional club, trained on campus for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Following that event, FIFA encouraged the college to apply for the 2026 World Cup. Representatives from multiple national teams visited Westmont last fall ahead of the FIFA World Cup draw in December.

Training sessions at Westmont during the tournament will not be open to the public.

Austria at UC Santa Barbara

Austria’s national team, officially known as the Österreichischer Fußball-Bund, will spend approximately one month training at UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium. The Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles announced the selection earlier this year, expressing excitement about the team’s scheduled June arrival.

The team will stay at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara resort while holding training sessions at Harder Stadium, which has been designated as Austria’s official training site as part of the base camp arrangement.

“Hosting an international team will deliver meaningful economic benefits, supporting local businesses, hospitality jobs and vital tax revenue for community services,” said Kathy Janega-Dykes, president and CEO of Visit Santa Barbara.

The Goleta City Council approved a Team Base Camp Host Agreement at a special meeting on January 12, 2026, making the city eligible to host a participating national team. The specific assignment of Austria was formally confirmed on January 30.

Because Harder Stadium lies outside Goleta’s city limits on university property, a separate agreement with the University of California was required.

Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said the city was “thrilled to welcome Team Austria, along with its delegations, media and fans.”

Under the Host Agreement, the City of Goleta assumes several responsibilities, including secure transportation, traffic management, public safety, and emergency services support. Police escorts will be required for team movements during the tournament period. The estimated cost to the city is $150,000, with funding proposed from existing city reserves. The agreement does not provide reimbursement for city expenses.

Regional Impact

Janega-Dykes emphasized the significance of hosting two international teams for the South Coast.

“Providing a training environment for athletes preparing for the FIFA World Cup is a significant achievement for the Santa Barbara South Coast,” she said. “Hosting an international team during their training supports local businesses and hospitality jobs and reflects our community’s longstanding practice of welcoming visitors from around the world. It also reinforces the South Coast’s reputation as a destination capable of hosting high-profile national and international events in the future.”

The selection of Santa Barbara County for two Team Base Camps places the region in the international spotlight during what organizers describe as one of the largest sporting events on the planet.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins June 11 and will continue through July 19.