Subaru Park in Chester prepares to host Ivory Coast for FIFA World Cup training site
Delaware County is stepping into the global spotlight ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
One of Africa's top national teams, Côte d'Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast, has chosen Subaru Park in Chester as its official training site. The team, nicknamed Les Éléphants (The Elephants), is expected to arrive in June.
Subaru Park officials said preparations will ramp up in mid-May, after the Philadelphia Union's final home match. That includes making adjustments to the field and adding French signage to help welcome the team.
"It's an exciting opportunity for us here at Subaru Park," Subaru Park vice president and general manager Brian Haggerty said. "The World Cup is such a prestigious event."
Haggerty noted that even small details matter as the stadium gets ready for the team's arrival.
"The lines that we paint on the field on the soccer pitch are slightly wider for a FIFA World Cup match than they are for an MLS match," Haggerty said. "We're making little tweaks like that to ensure that we are at FIFA and World Cup standards for the matches."
Ivory Coast enters the tournament as Africa Cup of Nations champions and will play two matches at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, including the city's World Cup opener on June 14 against Ecuador. The second match is set for June 25 against Curaçao.
Players will stay in Wilmington while training in Chester. During the tournament, Les Éléphants will also train at the WSFS Bank Sportsplex in Chester. The team is expected to draw fans from across the region.
"I think the energy is going to be off the charts," said soccer fan Alex Lord, who is traveling from New York City to attend the World Cup. "It'll be a pretty special thing that it's happening just across the country here and I feel really fortunate that it was able to get tickets to see one of the matches."
Stadium officials said they are also exploring ways for the public to watch practices, though details are still being finalized.
