The dream is Messi and the Argentine national team calling Fort Worth and TCU “home” for as long they are in the 2026 World Cup, but that fantasy will not become a reality.
The World Cup starts in four months, and teams are selecting base camps for the 48-team tournament that will be played in Mexico, Canada and the United States. So far, TCU/Fort Worth and the other three North Texas potential sites have not been picked in a selection process that will run through the end of March.
Local organizers are now in the “concerned” phase, and, organizers said, TCU/Fort Worth does not expect to be selected.
England has reportedly selected Prairie Village near Kansas City as its base camp. Germany will base in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and train at Wake Forest University. Spain has selected Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Baylor School (no, a different Baylor).
Japan will base in Nashville. South Korea is going to Guadalajara, Mexico, the same city as Colombia. Uruguay will base in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, in Mexico; France is going to Boston.
Locally, four potential sites made the initial cut to be a base camp: TCU, and the Sheraton hotel in downtown Fort Worth; Toyota Stadium, and the Westin Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa in Frisco; the University of North Texas, and Embassy Suites by Hilton Denton Convention Center; and Mansfield Stadium, and the Hilton Garden Inn Dallas/Arlington South.
When the German national team selected Wake Forest and Winston-Salem, it was a red flag to local organizers. Wake Forest and Winston-Salem had not officially been a part of the pool of candidates, but ... it happened.
“We are aware that some national teams have selected their base camps, however, we know that those decisions are still being made by other national teams, and this process can carry on for the next few weeks through March,” said Monica Paul, the president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, in a statement.
“We are confident in the bid process that all of our base camp options in North Texas put forth to FIFA and the national teams, and we believe in the opportunity our base camps still have to be selected.”
The prevailing thought was the appeal of the sites in North Texas is its central location for the entire tournament. The fear now is the heat, and the lobbying efforts may not have been effective.
While a tournament-high nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which is indoors, the four local training sites are outside. June and July in North Texas are not always accommodating.
For more than a year, TCU officials were optimistic that it would serve as a base camp to a team. The optimism was nearly an assumption. Essentially, a team uses the facility to train, and resides in a local hotel. Depending on how long the team is alive in the tournament, it could use its base camp for nearly two months.
“With vast exposure to international audiences and a boost to our local economy, our entire region will benefit in significant ways from FIFA’s presence in North Texas this summer,” TCU said in a statement. “Sports diplomacy opportunities for TCU and the region are only rising, and we’ll continue to pursue opportunities that elevate awareness on a global stage.”
Teams are housed at a base camp and then travel to the city of their scheduled match where they must stay and practice for two days before the game; for the matches at AT&T Stadium, teams will practice at SMU and the Cotton Bowl.
In order to secure a spot as a potential site, a place meets a list of demands from an organization that is notorious about insisting on particulars from the size of the hotel beds, down to the dimensions of the soap in the bathroom.
In return, the school receives good PR, great photo ops for marketing and recruiting; the city may draw fans and attention to increase tourist spending. It’s up to the team’s discretion in terms of permitting media coverage and fans at practices. It’s a “feather” to serve as a base camp for a team.
Preferably a team that has global standing with a big following. Argentina. Spain. England. France. Portugal. Netherlands.
What a potential base camp doesn’t want, but could never say it, is to be picked by an Iran, Ivory Coast, Uzbekistan, Haiti or a tiny nation that is way down the FIFA rankings. That doesn’t move the needle, and it could be a potential source of controversy.
Think of this selection process as a few episodes of “The Bachelor.”
A North Texas site could still be selected. Six spots remain to qualify for the World Cup, and those teams will be assigned a base camp by FIFA.
There is still a chance, it’s just no longer a given.