What started as a happy accident led to a top-10-ranked international soccer team naming Alexandria, Virginia, as its base camp during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In January, the Croatian Football Federation confirmed that its men’s national team selected Episcopal High School as its training facility and that it will stay at Hotel AKA Alexandria in Old Town during the monthlong tournament.
But how did a city in Virginia, in a region that is not hosting any World Cup matches, end up being selected to host a World Cup team during the tournament?
“Honestly, I stumbled on the application process to host,” Dan O’Neill, director of auxiliary programs at Episcopal, told WTOP. “I was, as a soccer fan, was searching for tickets, and how you get on the ticket list three, four years ago, and that’s when I realized FIFA was looking for host sites.”
O’Neill quickly touched base with school officials, who connected with the city government. Together with the city’s official tourism organization, Visit Alexandria, the school put together a bid to present to FIFA.
Suzanne Thibeault, director of sales for Visit Alexandria, said the bid was structured as a three-part package, committing to the city, the school and the hotel all in one, while just under seven miles from Reagan National Airport.
“They can travel to and from Alexandria very easily from each of their matches,” Thibeault said. “Not only when they’re away from their home away from home, they can actually feel like they’re living in a local, small town, while having the accessibility of a big, cosmopolitan city.”
Episcopal brings private soccer environment
Founded in 1839, Episcopal is one of the few remaining boarding schools in the U.S., sitting on a 130-acre campus. Inside are two Bermuda grass soccer pitches.
O’Neill told WTOP its newest field, only five years old and located in between its track, will be the main training pitch for Croatia.
“We’re really able to keep that field in pristine condition for both our athletes in the fall, but then the spring and summer,” O’Neill said, adding that the fields were graded and tested by FIFA during the bid process.
Croatia will also have access to the school’s weight room and one of its gymnasiums. The team will also use the school’s 2,050-square-foot training room with hot and cold tubs. Its wrestling room will be converted into a media room for press conferences.
Because the school is a closed campus, Croatia will have privacy to conduct its training.
“The private training environment is really important to these teams and being able to run their sessions in a private environment where they can really concentrate on the work they need to do,” O’Neill said.
The school is no stranger to hosting soccer teams. The Washington Spirit and the U.S. women’s national team have used its fields for training.
Last year, Episcopal served as a base camp for Al Ain FC of the United Arab Emirates during the FIFA Club World Cup. Thibeault told WTOP that hosting during the Club World Cup was a prerequisite for consideration as a World Cup base.
In a news release, the Croatian Football Federation said it analyzed more than 60 sites and compiled a shortlist after learning the locations of its group-stage matches. Following a site visit in Alexandria, head coach Zlatko Dalić and his staff “unanimously agreed” that the Virginia city was the team’s best choice.
“Alexandria was the first choice of our staff, and I am therefore confident that we will have everything the national team needs there — a top-class training center, a comfortable hotel, and peace and quiet,” Croatian Football Federation President Marijan Kustić said.
‘Home away from home’
Alexandria will see some economic impact from Croatia’s stay, Todd O’Leary, president and CEO of Visit Alexandria, told WTOP. The biggest effect will be the civic pride it brings to the city.
“This is really an opportunity for our community to show who we are and how we are such a welcoming destination,” he told WTOP.
There was no “cash outlay” in securing Croatia, O’Leary said. Instead, the city will take care of other related costs, including permit fees, security, police and ambulance services.
With months away before the tournament, city and school officials are already preparing for the team’s arrival. O’Neill said FIFA conducted a site visit in February to ensure the fields at Episcopal were recovering well after January’s winter storm.
The Visit Alexandria team has begun putting together lists of restaurants and places of worship for players and their families to visit during their stay.
O’Leary said some of their visitor materials and brochures will also be translated into Croatian.
“This is their home away from home,” O’Leary said. “They’re going to be with their friends and family traveling with them, and so, we want to make sure that we really roll out the red carpet for the team and those that travel with them.”
While some soccer fans may be encouraged to head to Episcopal to try to catch a glimpse of players, including captain Luka Modrić, during training, school officials say not to. Practice will be closed to the public, and the boarding school will operate as normal, including offering summer camps and visits.
There will be a higher level of security surrounding the team as well, O’Leary said.
Fans are instead encouraged to follow Visit Alexandria for future collaborations with FIFA and Croatia, including possible watch parties during the tournament.
“This is just something our community is really, really, truly buzzing about, from city hall into the neighborhoods,” O’Leary said. “It really is a big deal for our community, and we’re ready. We’re going to be ready.”
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