Team Brazil Makes Big First Impression at World Cup Training Ahead of Opening Match
MORRISTOWN, NJ – Hundreds gathered at the new Columbia Park Training Facility in Morristown on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of Team Brazil as they get set for the 2026 World Cup.
On the most successful national soccer programs in the world and one of the favorites at this year’s tournament, the Brazilians will be conducting training sessions at the facility in Morristown. The complex is usually home to the New York Red Bulls but will used by Brazil during their World Cup run.
On Wednesday, the team hosted an open practice session, which included more than 120 media members from around the world and several local youth soccer programs, including Ironbound Soccer Club. The team conducted a short practice for those in attendance to watch as they gear up for their opening match. Before the festivities, residents reported seeing helicopters overhead and a crowd gathered along Columbia Turnpike near the facility, signaling the Brazilian national team’s arrival.
Brazil is one of four teams that will be using the Garden State as a home base during this summer’s tournament. Haiti will be training at Stockton University in Atlantic County, Morocco will be at The Pingry School in nearby Basking Ridge, and Senegal will be staying at Rutgers University. Brazil is set to open their 2026 World Cup schedule against Morocco at MetLife Stadium on June 13 before taking a trip down to Lincoln Financial Field to take on Hait and wrapping up the group stage with a match against Scotland in Miami.
The Columbia Park Training Facility opened in April of this year with the idea in mind that this summer’s World Cup would be a great time to use it as a hosting site. With four teams staying in New Jersey and the final being played at MetLife Stadium, the Garden State will be a hotbed for soccer in just a few days.