CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (April 16, 2025) – Chattanooga has been selected as the
official Team Base Camp Host City for Auckland City Football Club
<https://www.aucklandcityfc.com/> (Auckland City FC) of Auckland, New
Zealand, during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™
<https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/club-world-cup/usa-2025>, taking
place June 11-July 19, 2025. This marks a historic milestone as the
tournament comes to the United States for the first time. As part of their
Chattanooga Team Base Camp experience, Auckland City FC will train at Baylor
School’s <https://www.baylorschool.org/> state-of-the-art soccer complex,
designated as the official Team Base Camp Training Site, and stay at the
historic Read House Hotel <https://www.thereadhousehotel.com/>.
“Chattanooga is being recognized on the world stage as a great soccer city,
and I can’t wait to show Auckland City FC some Chattanooga hospitality as
they prepare for and play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup,” said
Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “Chattanooga as a city and Auckland FC as a
team share an underdog identity and a fighting spirit. Like Chattanooga,
Auckland FC have proven they can compete with–and beat–the big guys,
inspiring the world by finishing third in the 2014 edition of this
tournament. 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.”
"We are thrilled to host Auckland City FC at our soccer complex and are
excited to partner with the City of Chattanooga to showcase our
hospitality," said Baylor’s Head of School Chris Angel ’89. “Baylor has
always had a global focus, and we are honored and thrilled to be selected
as a training site for such a prestigious global sporting event.”
“We’re honored to be part of this historic moment as the FIFA Club World
Cup comes to the U.S. for the first time,” said Barry White, CEO and
President of the Chattanooga Tourism Co. “Auckland City FC brings a warm,
welcoming spirit that feels right at home here. While their focus will be
on training and preparation, we hope they also enjoy the hospitality and
beauty that define our community. We’re proud to welcome Auckland City FC
as part of the Chattanooga family, and we invite everyone to cheer them on
throughout the tournament, especially during their match at GEODIS Park in
Nashville on June 24.”
The FIFA Club World Cup brings together champion clubs from across the
globe and is widely considered a key lead-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026™
<https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026>,
which will also be hosted in the United States. Hosting Auckland City FC
not only shines a global spotlight on Chattanooga but positions the city to
potentially host national teams in 2026.
As part of Group C, Auckland City FC will face:
Bayern Munich (Germany) – June 15 in Cincinnati, OH
Benfica (Portugal) – June 20 in Orlando, FL
Boca Juniors (Argentina) – June 24 in Nashville, TN
To learn more and view the full FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ schedule, visit
FIFA.com <http://fifa.com>.