Tijuana’s Estadio Caliente will almost certainly sit empty during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with no national team expected to use the facility as a training base despite its official designation as a tournament training site.
Fernando Arce, sporting director of Club Tijuana Xolos, said logistics are the main reason no squad has chosen the stadium. The nearest World Cup match venue to Tijuana is SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, roughly 120 miles north across the U.S. border. Mexico’s three host cities for actual matches, including Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City, are all far to the south.
“It was always a possibility,” Arce said of hosting a team, but acknowledged the chances now look very slim with the tournament less than six weeks away.
Distance and Border Logistics Kill the Deal
The 2026 World Cup, the first to feature 48 teams across three host countries, will stage matches in 16 cities throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Teams have been selecting base camps across North America, with many choosing locations close to their group stage venues to minimize travel.
For a team playing matches in the U.S., training in Tijuana would mean repeated international border crossings through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, one of the busiest land crossings in the world. Construction of an elevated roadway near the port is already expected to disrupt traffic patterns during the tournament period. For teams playing in Mexican venues, Tijuana sits over 1,000 miles from Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, making it impractical as a home base.
Public Screenings May Offer Consolation
Arce noted the stadium may still play a role during the tournament by hosting public screenings of World Cup matches, giving Tijuana residents a communal viewing experience even without live action on the pitch. No specific dates or details for potential screenings have been announced.
The news comes during a tense period for Mexican football. The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) recently threatened to drop Liga MX players from the national team’s World Cup roster if they failed to report to a pre-tournament training camp on May 6. Among those who did report was Tijuana’s own Gilberto Mora, whose commitment to the national team was publicly praised by coaching staff.
The World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Mexico City, with matches running through July 19. Tijuana fans hoping to catch live games will need to look north to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles or south to Estadio Akron in Guadalajara as their closest options.
First reported by Jornada BC.