Scotland’s national soccer team has set up camp at Charlotte FC’s headquarters in North Carolina as it fine‑tunes for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, using the Atrium Health Performance Park in east Charlotte as its base.
The presence of the squad has attracted a wave of international media interest, with roughly thirty reporters from Scotland and about fifty to sixty media members attending a recent training session.
Media Praise the Facilities
Reporters highlighted the quality of the venue, noting that the infrastructure exceeds many expectations for a preparation site in the United States.
While Charlotte is not scheduled to host any World Cup matches, several national squads have chosen North Carolina locations for their pre‑tournament work, including Norway’s Erling Haaland training at UNC Greensboro and Germany’s team at Wake Forest in Winston‑Salem.
Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta said the Scottish squad was impressed by the arrangements, and the club’s technical director Tommy Wilson’s connections with the Scottish Football Association helped seal the partnership.
Scotland’s World Cup schedule will see it meet Haiti on June 13, Morocco on June 19 and Brazil on June 24, and the team hopes its stay in Charlotte will leave a lasting impression on both players and fans.
The city will also host the MLS All‑Star Game on July 29 at Bank of America Stadium, underscoring Charlotte’s growing role in the sport’s landscape in the United States.
A group of schoolchildren attended a recent workout, watching the players endure temperatures climbing into the 90s, while Canada used the same facilities to adjust to the heat before its own tournament.