International Soccer
Côte d’Ivoire to train in Chester, stay in Wilmington during FIFA World Cup
Côte d’Ivoire is going to be calling Chester, Pa. and Wilmington, Delc. home for FIFA World Cup 2026™ this summer, utilizing the Philadelphia Union’s facilities for training and preparation while staying in Wilmington, Del.
‘Les Éléphants’ will be playing two of their group matches – against Ecuador on June 14 and Curaçao on June 25 – at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philly. They are playing Germany in their other Group E match on June 20 at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario.
“When one of France’s all-time great defenders and a 1998 FIFA World Cup™ champion in Marcel Desailly says the Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) has what it takes to reach the last four of this tournament, it’s easy to understand why the Côte d’Ivoire Federation would select such an elite Team Base Camp in the Philadelphia Union’s Stadium,” Meg Kane, Host City Executive/CEO, Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said in a news release.
“Côte d’Ivoire was one of two unbeaten group winners that did not concede a goal in its 10 outings during qualifying,” Kane said. “This is a team to be reckoned with in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and Philadelphia, Chester, and our entire region love a team to be reckoned with. We welcome Les Éléphants to Philadelphia Union’s stadium as their home away from home and promise to show them the best of what we have to offer during their time here this summer.”
Côte d’Ivoire, aka Ivory Coast, coming to Chester will be a feather in the cap of the Philadelphia Union as they continue to look for ways to showcase their new expanded facility to the world. WSFS Bank Sportsplex last week played host to the Snow Bowl tournament with several international youth clubs taking part.
“Hosting Côte d’Ivoire on our campus is a tremendous honor for the Philadelphia Union and our entire region,” Union President Tim McDermott said in a news release. “We’ve built one of the most unique sports campuses in North America specifically to support and develop world-class soccer, and there’s no better validation of that vision than welcoming recent African champions to train here. From Chester to Wilmington to Philadelphia, this is an incredible opportunity to showcase the passion, hospitality, and excellence of our facilities and our soccer community on the global stage.”
The Union will play their last game at Subaru Park before the World Cup break against Columbus Crew on May 16. They’ll return home after the break on July 22 against Red Bull New York.
