On Thursday, January 16th, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) announced its formal selection of Alexandria, Virginia, as the base camp for the Croatian national team this summer during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The team will be staying at the AKA Hotel in Old Town Alexandria and be using the training facilities at the Episcopal High School, which offers what the HNS considered to be some of the region’s finest athletic facilities, including a world-class soccer pitch (field), a fully stocked gym, cardiovascular training zone, and state-of-the-art recovery suites to conduct advanced healing procedures like hydrotherapy, electrostimulation, cryotherapy, and even ultrasound.
Why is the Croatian team staying in Alexandria?
According to team manager Iva Olivari, the HNS initially considered over 60 potential base camp locations across the United States and Canada before the draw.
After the draw, when they learned that their group-stage matches would be held primarily on the East Coast, the group sought a suitable base camp in the northeastern U.S. and Canada.
Once the HNS visited and reviewed what they considered to be the eight best sites for their base camp, the team’s coach, Zlatko Dalić, and his staff unanimously agreed that Alexandria offered the best blend between quality lodging, outstanding training resources, and proximity to an airport, to make logistical planning easier to manage.
The Croatian team’s decision to stay in Alexandria also makes sense when considering that its group-stage matches will be played in Arlington (Texas), Toronto, and Philadelphia, meaning that a centralized location like Virginia may reduce the stress of travel.
To quote the Croatian team’s Technical Director, Stipe Pletikosa, “Alexandria offers us the best combination of an excellent training centre and a comfortable hotel, with immediate proximity to the airport and a good geographical position in relation to the cities where we will play our group-stage matches, from a sporting perspective, which is always our top priority, we will have truly top-class conditions at Episcopal High School — from the pitches and fitness facilities to recovery areas — so there were very few doubts.”