Spain football team lands in Chattanooga as base camp for 2026 World Cup

The Spain national football team arrived Friday night in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to use the city as its base camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. An Iberia Airbus A350 carried the squad, which included coach Luis de la Fuente, who said, “Hemos llegado a Estados Unidos y hemos entrado en una nueva dimensión, otra forma de ver las cosas.”

Mayor Tim Kelly and Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp greeted the players, estimating a $600,000 economic boost for the city and noting that the money will cover extra police hours. A public training session drew 27,000 applications for free tickets. The team will train at Baylor School on Saturday, with the morning session closed to the public and the evening session open to registered fans.

Spain will travel to Puebla, Mexico, on Sunday for a friendly against Peru before returning to Chattanooga. Their World Cup group‑stage matches are scheduled for June 15 (vs Cabo Verde) and June 21 (vs Saudi Arabia) in Atlanta, with the final group game on June 27 in Guadalajara against Uruguay. Key players such as Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Víctor Muñoz are monitoring minor injuries ahead of the tournament.