Chattanooga named Team Base Camp host city for Auckland City FC

The Scenic City will be the home to this New Zealand soccer team this summer.

NOOGAtoday | Auckland City FC

“I hope every Chattanoogan will embrace the players, staff, and fans of Auckland City FC, making them feel at home here and supporting them in their matches,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly.

Photo by Auckland City FC via @mayortimkelly

In a historic milestone, the FIFA Club World Cup is coming to the US for the first time this year from Saturday, June 14 to Sunday, July 13, and the Scenic City is getting in on the action.

The FIFA Club World Cup brings together champion clubs from across the globe. Think: Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and America’s own Seattle Sounders. This tournament is a lead-up to the FIFA World Cup — coming to North America in 2026.

Chattanooga has been selected as the official Team Base Camp host city for Auckland City FC. The New Zealand team will call the Scenic City home this summer, training at Baylor School’s state-of-the-art soccer complex + staying at the historic Read House Hotel.

Auckland FC is a dominant team, winning multiple New Zealand titles, as well as the OFC Champions League, which includes the best squads in Oceania.

For the Club World Cup, Auckland FC are part of Group C. They’ll face teams like Bayern Munich from Germany and S.L. Benfica from Portugal.

With eyes on the Scenic City for this tournament, it positions us to potentially host national teams in 2026.

Bonus: If you’re up for a short drive to Nashville, you can cheer on the team as they take on the Club Atlético Boca Juniors at GEODIS Park on Tuesday, June 24. (Make sure to say hi to NASHtoday for us.)

Learn more about the FIFA Club World Cup + see the full tournament schedule online.

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