Charlotte will host Scotland’s national team during FIFA World Cup. Here’s why
The city of Charlotte isn’t hosting a match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But the Queen City will still be involved in the festivities.
Charlotte FC announced on Tuesday that the Scotland National Team will set up shop in Atrium Health Performance Park — the practice facility of the city’s MLS club — for the duration of the World Cup, which will begin June 11 and run until mid-July.
The 52,000-square-foot facility in East Charlotte opened in October 2023 and includes locker rooms, a cafeteria, a large weight room, fields and offices utilized by Charlotte FC’s business staff. Scotland will use all of these amenities as its headquarters ahead of the team’s Group C matches against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.
“We’re excited to welcome Scotland, one of the world’s most historic football associations, to Charlotte for the FIFA World Cup,” Tepper Sports and Entertainment CEO Kristi Coleman wrote in a statement. “This summer bring the biggest sporting event North America has seen this century, and we’re honored for Charlotte FC to be named a team base camp for a major European nation.”
Scotland is making its return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
Charlotte now joins two other North Carolina cities that will be hosting national teams during the World Cup. Germany will set up its base training site in Winston-Salem, and Norway will be in Greensboro.
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke told UK media outlets last week that “we have secured Charlotte as a base for the team.” That news became official Tuesday, and Clarke expanded on why Charlotte FC’s place fit what he was looking for.
“We are delighted to confirm Charlotte as our training base,” Clarke stated via a release. “We looked at the FIFA-nominated options, against our own predetermined criteria, and Charlotte FC (has) a top MLS training facility with everything we need to prepare for our matches.
“I’d like to add that Charlotte FC’s staff could not have been more welcoming. As most competing nations have discovered, travel will be an important factor in this World Cup. Our base in Charlotte will be convenient for the airport, with flights around two hours to Boston and Miami for our group stage matches. We are hopeful that this will give us the best possible conditions to get ready for the tournament, and it’s another exciting landmark ahead of the summer.”
In the group stage, Scotland will play two matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and one match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The Scottish FA and Charlotte FC have a few prominent connections. Among them:
- John McGinn, midfielder for Scotland, used to play under Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith at Aston Villa.
- Charlotte FC’s technical director Tommy Wilson also began his career off the pitch as football development officer for the Scottish FA, per a release.
- And John Currie, Charlotte FC’s director of high performance, spent over a decade in the country working with Scottish Premiership clubs Celtic FC and Heart of Midlothian FC.
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This will mark the second consecutive summer Charlotte FC’s facilities will be utilized by a team playing in a global FIFA competition. Bank of America Stadium was the site of four FIFA Club World Cup matches last summer.
Even though Charlotte won’t officially host any matches in this summer’s World Cup, it will be the site of a “send-off” friendly ahead of the tournament, pitting the U.S. Men’s National Team against Senegal on May 31.
