Forty-eight national football teams are now embedded across North America, setting up training bases for a World Cup that is unprecedented in both scale and geographic footprint. The tournament, which kicked off on June 11, is the first to feature 48 teams and the first to be co-hosted by three nations.
Of those 48 Team Base Camps, 39 are located in the United States, spread across more than 20 cities in 19 states. Seven teams chose Mexico, and two set up shop in Canada.
The logistics of housing a continent-sized tournament
By May 25, all 48 participating nations had confirmed their training locations. The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19. That’s nearly six weeks of continuous competition, meaning teams that advance deep into the bracket will be living at these camps for over a month.
Here’s the thing about a 48-team World Cup: it’s a 50% expansion over the 32-team format that had been standard since 1998.
