Scotland picks Charlotte for 2026 FIFA World Cup HQ 

CHARLOTTE FC

Atrium Health Performance Park, headquarters of Charlotte FC, will serve Scotland's national soccer team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Scottish immigrants were among those who brought soccer to the Charlotte area a century ago. Soccer will bring Scotland back to Charlotte as its national team training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Charlotte FC announced on Tuesday that the Scottish Football Association has chosen Atrium Health Performance Park as its base camp and training site for the world’s largest sporting event.
And with them will come thousands of the Tartan Army to celebrate the return of Scotland to the finals for the first time since France 1998, where they went out in the group stage. This will be Scotland’s ninth World Cup.
Scotland are soccer history. They played England in the first-ever international match in 1872.

Coached by Steve Clarke, the team captain is Liverpool’s Andy Robertson. Other notable players include former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay, who plays for Napoli in Italy’s Serie A, and Aston Villa’s John McGinn, who was previously coached by the Crown’s Dean Smith at the Midlands club.

“We are delighted to confirm Charlotte as our training base,” Clarke said. “We looked at the FIFA-nominated options against our own predetermined criteria, and Charlotte FC have a top MLS training facility with everything we need to prepare for our matches.” 

Clarke also noted the location works well for their first-round matches in Boston (Haiti on June 13; Morocco on June 19) and Miami (Brazil on June 24). 

“As most competing nations have discovered, travel will be an important factor in this World Cup.,” he said “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.” 

Since the facility opened in 2023, Atrium Health Performance Park has fostered a growing international reputation. It hosted Real Madrid in 2024 prior to its friendly against Chelsea, and LigaMX club CF Pachuca during their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup run last summer. 

“It is our honor to host the Scotland National Team at our home for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, and we’re proud that our facility reflects the high standards of a nation competing on the world’s biggest stage,” Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta said in a statement. “At Charlotte FC, we have built a high-performance training center that supports the day-to-day demands required for elite competition. Our facility ensures Scotland has every advantage as they set their sights on the world's biggest prize, and we wish them all the success at the FIFA World Cup.” 

Other CLTFC connections to the Scotland team include technical director Tommy Wilson, who began his career as the Football Development Officer for the Scottish FA, and John Currie, the club’s director of high performance, who spent over a decade with Scottish clubs Celtic and Heart of Midlothian. 

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