Ivory Coast, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations champions often called Les Éléphants, will use Subaru Park and the adjacent WSFS Bank Sportsplex in Chester as its official training base during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Team staff and players are expected to stay in nearby Wilmington while they gear up for two group matches in Philadelphia this summer. The choice plants a world-class national team on the Delaware Valley's doorstep and shines a bright spotlight on Chester's rapidly developing sports campus.
Union And Host Committee Announce Base Camp
Philadelphia Soccer 2026 and the Philadelphia Union jointly announced the selection in a club news release, according to OurSports Central. The Union called hosting Côte d'Ivoire "a tremendous honor," and Union President Tim McDermott said the decision validates the club's vision for "one of the most unique sports campuses in North America." Philadelphia Soccer 2026 spokesperson Meg Kane highlighted the team's recent continental title and the region's strong African diaspora as key reasons this partnership is expected to land especially well with local fans.
Why Chester And Wilmington Were Chosen
Local reporting notes that the squad will train at Subaru Park and the WSFS Bank Sportsplex while lodging in Wilmington, Delaware, just a quick hop across the Commodore Barry Bridge. Organizers expect that setup to concentrate fan activity and team operations across the wider region, rather than in one isolated pocket. As Billy Penn points out, the plan is designed to tap into Philadelphia's sizable African diaspora and to open the door for new tourism and hospitality business for area hotels and restaurants. Officials also say the presence of a high-profile national team could help spark local events and community programs tied directly to the World Cup.
Ivory Coast's Philadelphia Match Dates
Ivory Coast's World Cup calendar includes two group-stage games at Philadelphia's tournament stadium: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador on June 14 and Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast on June 25, according to a Philadelphia match schedule from Fox Sports. With group play spread across multiple cities, basing in Chester is expected to give the team quick access to Lincoln Financial Field on match days. Organizers say more details on any public training sessions and fan-focused events will be released as the tournament draws closer.
What The Sportsplex Brings To Chester
The WSFS Bank Sportsplex is a $100 million, 170,000-square-foot complex built right next to Subaru Park. It features indoor fields, outdoor pitches and a performance center, according to WSFS Bank. The Philadelphia Union has pitched the campus as both a high-end training site and a community hub, and the club says in its own description that the facilities were designed to host elite teams and major events. With locker rooms, recovery spaces and multiple professional-grade pitches all in one place, the setup checks the boxes national federations typically look for when choosing a base camp.
Local leaders and the Union say they will roll out more detailed event and hospitality plans as the World Cup approaches, and residents can expect further updates from Philadelphia Soccer 2026 and the club in the coming weeks. The initial coverage of Ivory Coast's selection of Chester as its base ran on Philadelphia.Today, which cited reporting from the Philadelphia Business Journal.
