North Texas will host nine matches, including a semifinal match, during the FIFA 2026 World Cup. Now, FIFA is shopping around North Texas for training sites.
In January, the McKinney-based training facility Inpower IQ applied to FIFA to become a designated training site.
“We've kind of played around with the idea of, 'Do we have the space?'” said Daniel Lanni, who helps run the facility. “I went to England, fortunately, to speak at a sports science convention. They kind of gave me a behind-the-scenes look at what it looks like to become FIFA-approved. (FIFA) won't speak to anyone when it comes time to picking a facility unless the facility itself is FIFA approved.”
The training sites, Lanni said, serve as a home away from home for teams.
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About two months ago, Lanni said he received an email from FIFA.
“I was that lunch and got an email that FIFA wants to have a conversation. And here we are today,” Lanni said.
The missing piece, however, is a soccer field.
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“We do need to have a 120-yard, full-sized field for that to take place,” Lanni said.
Behind their facility is a vacant lot owned by the City of McKinney.
“The field itself was once a baseball field, so it is fairly flat,” Lanni said.
The lot was initially purchased in 2017 as part of an expansion project of the StarCenter ice skating facility.
“If it is approved, we do have several ideas to maintain 250 seats. That's still up in the air. There are requirements from FIFA depending on how many seats it needs to have to be a qualified playing surface,” Lanni said.
On Tuesday, during the McKinney City Council’s work session, Lanni made another push to convince local leaders.
“I mean, why not be with the best? The professionals already train here,” Lanni said. “So, why not have one of the best nations at the wall at the World Cup actually come to McKinney, and why not come to our facility to do so.”
City documents state the city would use the field as a practice soccer field after the World Cup and explore connecting the area to the McKinney Soccer Complex via a pedestrian trail.
According to a city spokesperson, the McKinney City Council will learn more about the project and explore future steps. However, no final decision is expected to be made during Tuesday’s work session.
“Let’s just say they do approve. We believe construction could start in the next three to four months,” Lanni said.
It would not be until December 2025 that FIFA would announce what base camps teams have been assigned to.
