Ecuador’s national team will be training in Columbus for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, with the OhioHealth Performance Center serving as the federation’s team base camp, it was announced on Feb. 6.
The 2026 World Cup is set to take place across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
While no official World Cup matches are being played in Columbus, hosting Ecuador opens the door for the city to hold events relating to the tournament, including friendlies.
The OhioHealth Performance Center is the Crew’s training facility. It opened in 2021 directly next to Historic Crew Stadium.
General manager Issa Tall played a significant role in the development of the 42,000 square-foot training facility.
“Our club, facilities and city are committed to providing Ecuador the top-class experience needed to successfully prepare for the World Cup,” Tall said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming them to their home away from home.”
The facility has 3½ natural grass training fields, three synthetic turf fields, a state-of-the-art gym and specialized recovery areas, among other features.
Since opening, the facility has hosted multiple United States national team camps, in addition to 2024 MLS All-Star Game training sessions.
This announcement comes in the same week Columbus was selected to be one of the seven host cities for the 2028 Summer Olympic tournaments.
Details regarding Ecuador’s team base camp being in Columbus are expected at a later date.
bmackay@dispatch.com
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ecuador to train for 2026 FIFA World Cup at Columbus Crew’s facility
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
