Uzbekistan National Soccer Team Selects Atlanta United Facility as World Cup Base Camp

FIFA announced that the Uzbekistan national team will use the Atlanta United Training Center in Marietta, Georgia, as its base camp for the 2026 World Cup. The facility, which underwent a $25 million expansion that opened in September, includes 33 acres and more than 500,000 square feet of playing space across six regulation fields, two gyms, five locker rooms, and content studios.

More than $90 million has been invested in the Marietta campus overall.

Uzbekistan qualified for its first World Cup after defeating the United Arab Emirates in 2025. The national team had come close to qualifying seven previous times, including in 2006 and 2014. The team is coached by Fabio Cannavaro, who won the 2006 World Cup with Italy as a player.

Cannavaro said in a December interview with The Guardian that the team must learn during the tournament and that any surprise result would require work and sacrifice.

Atlanta will host eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including five group-stage games, one round-of-32 match, one round-of-16 match, and one semifinal. Uzbekistan is scheduled to play its first match on June 17 in Mexico City against Colombia and its second match on June 27 in Atlanta against DR Congo.

The team is expected to arrive in Atlanta on June 10. Dimitrious Efstathiou, Atlanta United senior vice president of strategy, said in a May 20 statement that the organization has built a world-class training ground capable of supporting the highest levels of the game.