Panama National Team Picks New Tecumseth, Ontario as 2026 World Cup Training Camp Base

Updated: 2026-06-19 | Live data is subject to official announcements

Panama’s men’s national football team has set up its base for the 2026 World Cup in New Tecumseth, a small town in Ontario about a 90-minute drive north of Toronto — more precisely, at the Nottawasaga Resort in the local community of Alliston. The resort combines accommodation, dining, a conference centre and two outdoor football pitches, and its head of resort operations, Sylvia Biffis, describes it as “hard to find a second like it anywhere in Canada, and rare even across all of North America.” It is worth noting that Panama is the only team at this World Cup to base its training camp inside Canada; the tournament is co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, while the Canadian team itself trained at Toronto’s Downsview Park before the games and did not set up a separate residential base.

The choice was no accident. The Nottawasaga Resort has hosted many national teams over the decades, including Germany ahead of the 1994 World Cup and the U.S. women’s team during the 2015 Women’s World Cup. According to local reports, three member associations expressed interest in moving into Alliston this time. The process began with Canada Soccer recommending the venue and FIFA conducting an on-site inspection, after which teams were invited to indicate their interest; FIFA ultimately assigned the base to Panama based on factors such as match locations and team ranking. Panama’s group-stage matches are mainly held in Toronto, and the convenience of location was one of the key considerations.

The team moved in roughly a week before its first match. Panama goalkeeper César Samudio mentioned at a press conference that he was enjoying the setting and even took a walk by a nearby pond; head coach Thomas Christiansen and his staff valued the quiet, away-from-the-city atmosphere, believing it helps players focus on their preparation. New Tecumseth is a quiet municipality of about 50,000 people, and local residents have been enthusiastic too, often coming out to the resort’s perimeter to watch the team train. Mayor Richard Norcross is likewise proud that the small town has made it onto the World Cup stage.

As for the schedule, the draw for this tournament has been completed, with Panama placed in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Ghana. Two of its three group-stage matches are played at Toronto’s BMO Field (officially called “Toronto Stadium” during the tournament):

In other words, as of this update, Panama has played its opening match and lost 0–1 to Ghana, with Caleb Yirenkyi scoring in second-half stoppage time and a shoving incident breaking out near the end. Next up, on June 23 at BMO Field against Croatia, is a crucial match for Panama as it stays in Toronto to fight for a place out of the group; the final group game then sends them south to MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey to face England. In short, fans who want to follow Panama up close in Canada should make the most of these two home-feeling fixtures in Toronto.

For fans living in the Greater Toronto Area, Panama basing itself nearby adds a sense of local convenience, but a reminder: whether the team will open public training sessions to fans, and the transport and parking arrangements around the resort, must still be confirmed through the announcements of Panama’s football federation (FEPAFUT) and the local municipality. This site could not find any fixed, officially published public-access times, so please do not show up unannounced and disturb the team’s preparation. In terms of travel, driving north from downtown Toronto along Highway 400 takes roughly an hour, depending on traffic; hotel capacity in New Tecumseth is limited, so if you are going to watch the matches at BMO Field, most fans will in fact stay right in downtown Toronto — after all, the venue is in the city and there is no need to head north just for the base. For planning your matchday itinerary, we still recommend building it around the 2026 World Cup Canada hosting information and the Toronto local guide.

Nicknamed “Los Canaleros” (Sons of the Canal), Panama is one of the more competitive sides in the CONCACAF region, known for its discipline and defensive resilience. Being the only team to set up camp in Canada this time has, in itself, written a rare World Cup chapter for the small town of New Tecumseth. Whether Panama can claim its first win in Toronto and turn its group situation around will be the storyline most worth watching over the coming days.