Mesa is about to step onto the global soccer stage. Turkey’s men’s national soccer team will base its World Cup training in the East Valley, with Arizona Athletic Grounds serving as the squad’s home away from home during the 2026 tournament. The move is expected to funnel international players and visiting fans into Mesa in the weeks before the tournament, which kicks off June 11, 2026, and local restaurants, hotels and the valley’s Turkish community are already gearing up for heavier crowds.
As reported by the Phoenix Business Journal, Türkiye’s squad has selected Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa as its base during the tournament. The Business Journal noted on May 14 that the team will use the complex for training sessions and media preparations while flying out to group stage matches across the West Coast and Canada.
What Arizona Athletic Grounds Offers
Arizona Athletic Grounds says its campus includes 24 multipurpose fields, four natural grass pitches and a 2,200 seat Championship Field, along with a nearly 20,000 square foot performance center. Fieldhouse space can be converted into coaches' offices, locker rooms and team meeting areas, giving the complex the feel of a self-contained soccer village. The facility was added to FIFA’s Team Base Camp brochure and bills itself as fully capable of hosting international squads preparing for World Cup play, according to Arizona Athletic Grounds.
Local Fans And Businesses React
Members of Mesa’s Turkish community and nearby restaurateurs told ABC15 the news landed like a hometown win. “It’s exciting. I’m almost six or seven thousand miles away, and they’re coming here,” Mustafa Uygur told the station. Other business owners said they are already bracing for watch parties, busier dinner shifts and a likely bump in hotel bookings as fans and media descend on the area.
Logistics And The World Cup Schedule
FIFA’s official schedule shows Türkiye’s group stage slate includes West Coast and Canadian venues, including a June 25, 2026 match against the United States at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, making Mesa a practical training base along that corridor. FIFA lists that fixture and the stadium lineup, while coverage from Turkish Football points out that a centralized camp in Arizona can help cut down on the team’s long travel itinerary.
FIFA has not yet published a detailed local training schedule for Team Base Camps, and Arizona Athletic Grounds says teams are expected to lock in their final selections and calendars after the final draw and official submissions. For now, the complex and Mesa area hotels are preparing for an influx of media, security personnel and hospitality needs as players, staff and traveling supporters arrive in the lead up to kickoff. Arizona Athletic Grounds has previously noted its inclusion in FIFA's base camp brochure, and ABC15 reported that FIFA had not responded to local requests for practice details.
Mesa officials, local businesses and fans will be watching closely for training schedules and any public events tied to the Turkish team. For tournament fixtures and ticketing information, check FIFA, and for Mesa focused updates keep an eye on the Phoenix Business Journal.
