The Austrian national soccer team was officially announced as the team that will be staying in Goleta and holding practices at UC Santa Barbara’s Harder Stadium during the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament this summer.
After the Goleta city council unanimously approved the plan to host one of this year’s World Cup teams, there was speculation about which team would be staying on the Central Coast. At the time, UCSB athletics representatives had already begun working out the details with the Austrian Football Association (known in German as the Österreichischer Fußball-Bund, or ÖFB) but could not yet reveal the team to the public.
On Friday, the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles confirmed on its social media accounts that the Austrian national soccer team — the Österreichische Fußballnationalmannschaft — will be setting up its team base camp in Goleta starting in June.
“We are excited to welcome the [Austrian soccer] team to California, where they will set up their Team Base Camp near Santa Barbara, as they embark on their FIFA World Cup 2026 journey,” the Austrian consulate posted on Instagram and Facebook. “We can’t wait for June and the boys to arrive — the team of the General Consulate will be cheering them on! Geh ma’s an!”
The team will be staying in a block of hotel rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta. The city of Goleta will help provide secure transportation between the hotel and Harder Stadium at UCSB, where the team will hold its practices between World Cup matches.
City officials are hoping to work with the Austrian Football Association to host community events and potential open practices, though no official events or collaborations have been formally announced.
The Austrian team finished with a 6-1-1 record in World Cup qualifying matches last year, and the team punched its ticket to the World Cup with a 1-1 tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a match played in Vienna, Austria, on November 18.
The Austrian team will arrive in early June, and train for a few days in Goleta before travelling to Santa Clara to face Jordan in the first game of the group stage on June 16. After that, the team will return to Goleta to train before its next two matches in Dallas on June 22 and Kansas City on June 27.
