[Saba Sports News] During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Japan have set their base camp at the Nashville SC Training Centre in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, while their pre-tournament training camp is based at the training complex of Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mexico. Recently, Mexican newspaper El Norte revealed that after arriving and inspecting Tigres’ training facilities, the Japanese squad deemed the pitch unsatisfactory, citing uneven ground and poor turf quality. Frequent local rainfall further complicated pitch maintenance work. With the World Cup fast approaching and to guard key squad members against injury, Japan opted to abandon the venue, a dispute severe enough to prompt the team to nearly pull out of Mexico entirely.
The issue was resolved at the eleventh hour thanks to Monterrey FC stepping in and offering superior training fields, allowing Japan to continue prepping for the World Cup under improved conditions. The side is scheduled to relocate officially to Nashville, Tennessee on June 8 to gear up for their opening group-stage fixture against the Netherlands. Japan will later return to Mexico to take on Tunisia at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey.
In my view, this incident highlights Japan’s meticulous standards for pre-tournament preparation and demonstrates flexible resource allocation amid the 2026 World Cup’s cross-border co-hosting format. Switching training venues within the same country counts as a professional contingency rather than an operational crisis.