The City of Vancouver is advancing plans to make the National Soccer Development Centre on the University of British Columbia’s campus a Team Base Camp and Venue-Specific Training Site for the FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver™ (FWC26).
UBC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and the City of Vancouver have signed a letter of intent outlining key terms for FIFA Canada’s potential use of the site as a base camp for the Canadian Men’s National Soccer team to stay and train before their matches, and as a training site location. This letter of intent marks an important step toward finalizing binding arrangements to make the state-of-the-art facility a hub to support the FIFA World Cup 26™ event.
With the opportunity to utilize the National Soccer Development Centre at UBC, the letter of intent between the City, UBC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC allows for the withdrawal of Memorial South Park from consideration as a FWC26 training site. Construction of the upgrades that were planned for Memorial South Park will no longer proceed, and the park will remain fully accessible to the community in its current condition leading up to, and during the FIFA World Cup 26™ event.
A requirement for all 16 host cities, the training sites will support international teams with world-class fields as they prepare for their matches at BC Place Vancouver. Earlier this year, construction began at Vancouver’s other training site, Killarney Park, and is expected to be completed by December 2025. The temporary facility at Killarney Park will include grass soccer pitches, field lights, team facilities such as locker rooms, and a press conference room. To support its use during the tournament and facilitate post-event restorations, the site will remain closed to the public until fall 2026. As a result of the work done to prepare for hosting training sessions, Killarney Park will remain upgraded to a grass sport field with lights, a drainage irrigation system and utilities which will enhance the park's long-term usability.
For more information on Vancouver’s training sites, visit www.vancouverfwc26.ca/trainingsites.
To learn more about the FIFA World Cup 26 Vancouver™, please visit www.vancouverfwc26.ca and sign up to receive updates, and follow our Instagram, X and Facebook accounts @FWC26 Vancouver. Fans can pre-register for FIFA World Cup 26™ ticket information at www.fifa.com/tickets.
