World Cup 2026: Which team will have to travel furthest?

While the 2026 World Cup is already underway, several national teams are still days away from playing their opening matches. Their preparations, however, began much earlier with the selection of training bases and team headquarters.

Earlier this year, every national federation informed FIFA about the hotels and training facilities they wanted to use during the World Cup. Cities such as Kansas City, Seattle and Miami will host several national teams throughout the tournament.

Looking at the group-stage schedule, it is possible to understand the travel demands facing each team. Brazil, for example, will be based at the newly built New York Red Bulls training centre in Morristown, New Jersey. This location was chosen because all three of Brazil's group-stage matches are on the east coast of the United States, in New Jersey, Philadelphia and Miami.

As a result, Brazil will travel around 3,740 kilometres during the group stage. Sports Mole's calculation includes the return journey between the team's base and each match venue. Among the 48 nations that qualified for the tournament, Brazil are one of the teams with the shortest travel distances.

Debutants to Face the Toughest Journey at the World Cup

© Imago / ANP

Before the base camps and hotels for each team are confirmed, FIFA sends a list of possible venues available to each nation. Following an assessment made after the group-stage draw — Brazil had already wished to be based on the East Coast but only confirmed their headquarters after being placed in Group C — each federation determines which location best suits their travel requirements.

In this context, Curacao face the most complicated itinerary. Making their World Cup debut this year and the smallest territory to compete in the tournament, Curacao will be based in Boca Raton, Florida, but will be required to travel more than 10,000km during the group stage — over 1,500km per match played.

Austria (Santa Barbara, California) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (St Louis, Missouri) face a similar situation. The two European sides, both of whom are returning to the World Cup this year, will need to travel approximately 9,500km during the group stage in pursuit of a place in the knockout rounds.

The distances are comparable to those experienced at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where matches were played across both the northern and southern regions of the country. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, air travel was not required, as all matches took place across five cities in close proximity to one another: Lusail, Doha, Al Rayyan, Al Khor and Al Wakrah.

Base Camps of the 48 Nations at the 2026 World Cup

Teams will be required to travel thousands of kilometres during the group stage of the tournament, hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico

Austria (Santa Barbara, California) and Bosnia-Herzegovina (St Louis, Missouri) face a similar situation. The two European sides, who have both returned to the World Cup this year, will need to travel approximately 9,500km during the group stage in pursuit of a place in the knockout rounds.

The distances are comparable to those experienced at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where matches were played across both the northern and southern regions of the country. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, air travel was not required, as all matches took place across five cities in close proximity to one another: Lusail, Doha, Al Rayyan, Al Khor and Al Wakrah.

Host Nations to Hold Advantage in World Cup Group Stage

© Imago / ImagenShop

Canada, the United States and Mexico share the organisation of the tournament. Although the United States host the majority of matches and venues, they will not benefit from a favourable travel schedule. During the group stage, the United States will travel approximately 3,400km, with matches taking place in Los Angeles and Seattle. The hosts' base will be in Irvine, California.

The same applies to Canada. The country will use just two stadiums — Vancouver and Toronto — which are far apart from one another. The Canadian side, who will play all three of their opening matches on home soil, will travel 6,712km to face Bosnia, Switzerland and Qatar. Among the 48 qualified nations, only Panama — in addition to the hosts — will be based in Canadian territory.

Furthermore, Canada are among the sides that will travel the most during the tournament. By contrast, Mexico — the third co-host — are the only side to benefit from a favourable travel schedule in the group stage. By playing exclusively in Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico will cover just 840km during the group stage.

Alongside Mexico, five other nations have chosen to base themselves in or near Mexican territory: Uruguay, Tunisia, South Africa, Colombia and South Korea. Iran, meanwhile, switched their base from Arizona to Tijuana due to tensions with the United States military. The remaining 40 nations will be based across the United States. The country, which previously hosted the World Cup in 1994, will also stage the majority of the tournament's 104 matches.

2026 World Cup Schedule

The 2026 World Cup will take place between June 11 and July 19. It will be the first time the tournament features 48 nations, an expanded format compared to the 32-team structure used between 1998 and 2022.

Group stage: June 11–27
Round of 32: June 28 – July 3
Round of 16: July 4–7
Quarter-finals: July 8–11
Semi-finals: July 14–15
Third-place play-off: July 18
Final: July 19