Four national teams that qualified for the World Cup will face off in San Diego, gifting the region with a couple of appetizers ahead of what is expected to be the most viewed sporting event in history.
Snapdragon Stadium, officials said Thursday, will host two “Countdown to ’26” soccer matches the first week of June. The first will be on June 6 when Switzerland faces Australia, with the second the following day, as Colombia takes on Jordan.
San Diego FC helped arrange the pre-World Cup matches in partnership with Sports San Diego and Lions Sports & Media.
“From day one, our vision has been to establish San Diego as a true epicenter of football in the United States and on the global stage,” said SDFC CEO Tom Penn. “We believe this city has the passion, diversity and infrastructure to be at the forefront of the game, and hosting these international matches at Snapdragon Stadium reflects that ambition – bringing world-class teams to our community as they prepare for the biggest stage in international football this summer.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins June 11, will feature a record 48 teams, an expansion from the previous 32-team format, and be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The tournament will divide all teams into 12 groups of four, with 32 advancing to the knockout stage.
Jordan is the newcomer among the bunch set to play in San Diego. The national team qualified for its first World Cup last year after a dominant 3-0 victory against Oman in Muscat (with some help from South Korea’s 2-0 win over Iraq that same day, June 5, 2005).
The Colombian and Australian men’s national teams have appeared in six World Cup tournaments while Switzerland has been in 12.
Two World Cup teams have chosen San Diego as their base in the run-up to the event, including Switzerland (New Zealand is the other squad). Switzerland’s head coach Murat Yakin hopes “the local community (is) behind us, and would love to see Swiss fans in California come out to support us.”
“We are very happy to be able to test against a strong opponent in San Diego exactly one week before our opening World Cup match,” he said in a statement. “The game will take place in a modern MLS stadium, which will give the players an initial feel for the World Cup atmosphere.”
The Colombia versus Jordan game will be Colombia’s final match before the team makes its way to the official basecamp in Guadalajara. Colombia is ranked 13th in the world according to FIFA’s rankings and will play its first two World Cup matches in Mexico, opening against Ukbekistan in Group K on June 17.
Here’s the World Cup schedule for the other three teams that will play in the two pre-tournament matches in San Diego:
Switzerland, ranked 19th and part of Group B, will face Qatar in its first World Cup match on June 13. Australia, ranked 27th and part of Group D, faces Turkey, also on June 13. Jordan, 63rd in the FIFA rankings, plays its first two games in Santa Clara, opening with Austria in Group J action on June 16.Hence then, the article about snapdragon to welcome four world cup teams in pair of june friendlies was published today ( ) and is available on Times of San Diego ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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