Orange County is pitching three of its best fields for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
On the list to host teams to practice and train during the quadrennial international men’s soccer championship are the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, the Great Park in Irvine and the World Cup Soccer Field in Mission Viejo.
“Those are the only three on the list so far, and (they) have the infrastructure and quality needed to meet expectations,” said Orange County Sports Commission Senior Director Anthony Brenneman. “But nothing is final, we’re still very much in the preliminary stages.”
For the first time, the world’s largest soccer competition will be held in three countries: the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Sixteen cities across the three countries will host the games — 11 in the U.S., including Los Angeles.
The OC Sports Commission — created in 2019 as a division of Visit Anaheim — was contacted by the Los Angeles World Cup Host Committee to find venues in Orange County that fit the bill, Brenneman said. A key issue the committee faced trying to locate training facilities in Los Angeles, he said, was that it doesn’t have as many open park spaces as Orange County.
Add in that many Los Angeles fields use Astroturf rather than natural grass, as FIFA requires, and the Sports Commission is lifting up the three spots in Orange County as potential options for practice during the tournament.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Choosing Jack Hammett, Great Park and the World Cup Soccer Field also came down to their size and maintenance, Brenneman said.
“A venue needs to be able to fit two FIFA regulation-sized football pitches,” he said. “There are other parks in Orange County, but they can’t fit two regulation-sized pitches and aren’t maybe as well-maintained — they’re bumpy and have gophers coming out of them.”
The OC Sports Commission earlier this year was tasked by FIFA with putting together a rough bid…
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