Soccer may not be as big as football in the United States, but the country will host the sport’s biggest tournament this year. For the second time in soccer’s illustrious history, the World Cup is returning to North America after 22 years. The US will play host alongside Canada and Mexico, but the best part? The US will host most of the tournament with 78 matches, while Canada and Mexico will host 13 games each. According to reports, FIFA has also selected several college teams as its base camps.

Interestingly, several FIFA World Cup 2026 teams are not just training at regular sports complexes but at places deeply connected to America’s college sports culture. Teams like Algeria will train at the University of Kansas, Germany at Wake Forest University, Senegal at Rutgers University, and Curaçao at Florida Atlantic University.

These universities have world-class athletic facilities built for NCAA competition. Rutgers competes in the Big Ten, Kansas in the Big 12, and Wake Forest in the ACC, which are all major conferences with extensive sports infrastructure. FIFA is tapping into America’s massive college sports network for the tournament.

What’s remarkable is how these campuses are spread across America’s soccer heartland. Wake Forest sits in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which is a city with deep soccer roots. Spain will train at a Tennessee high school, Baylor School, to be precise, in Chattanooga. Meanwhile, Norway chooses UNC Greensboro, also in North Carolina, showing how one state hosts multiple nations.

In earlier FIFA World Cups, teams usually stayed and trained at professional sports facilities, luxury hotels, resorts, or national training centers instead of places connected to college sports culture. For example, during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, teams were staying in training hubs like Sochi, Moscow Oblast, Saint Petersburg, and Kazan.

The same was the case with the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Most teams stayed very close to Doha and trained at compact sports academies. That is why the 2026 World Cup stands out so much. Instead of luxury resorts like in Russia or compact academies in Qatar, FIFA chose American college campuses. They are looking for places where teenagers wake up every day chasing their sports dreams.

Germany’s players will train on the same fields where Wake Forest students practice. Senegal will run the same tracks at Rutgers. And for one summer, the world’s best soccer players will walk the same halls as college kids who may never play on such a big stage. That’s the magic FIFA found in America’s college system.

There are major sporting changes too. Because the tournament has expanded to 48 teams, smaller football nations are finally getting their chance on the biggest stage. Countries like Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan have qualified for their first-ever FIFA World Cup. But along with the major expansion, the ticket prices are also surging heavily.

FIFA World Cup ticket prices spark debate against college football comparison

FIFA president Gianni Infantino compared 2026 World Cup ticket prices, around $300, to college football and NFL games, saying fans can’t attend American college games for less than $300. However, recent ticket data shows different numbers.

“You cannot go to watch a college game in the U.S., not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300. And this is the World Cup,” Infantino said.

Reports showed that the cheapest tickets for the game in early May were around $380. Even on resale websites,  the USA vs. Paraguay match crossed $1,000 for the cheapest seat available. Even smaller games are expensive. Austria vs. Jordan at Levi’s Stadium starts near $175 for bad seats, while Brazil vs. Morocco at MetLife Stadium goes above $1,200.

That is where Gianni Infantino’s college football comparison completely falls apart. He claimed fans in America cannot even attend a college football game for less than $300. But that’s not true. Ohio State vs. Miami tickets dropped as low as $32 in the Cotton Bowl. Even Oregon vs. Texas Tech sold for nearly $50 in the Orange Bowl.

The same thing happened with NFL playoff tickets, too. Reports showed Rams vs. Panthers and Texans vs. Steelers tickets were available for under $200 on resale, and Bears vs. Packers was the only game where ticket prices crossed $300.

But with ticket prices rising, the hype around the game hasn’t stopped a bit, with half time show happening for the first time, and FIFA expanding locations, the demand is also increasing.