Ralf Rangnick is satisfied. The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta serves as accommodation during the World Cup. “Santa Barbara was the absolute dream location for me – because of the first-class training conditions,” says the ÖFB team boss.
The national team will move into its team base camp in the Santa Barbara area on California’s Pacific coast as part of the 2026 World Cup. The Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Goleta serves as accommodation, offering ideal conditions for focused tournament preparation and sustainable regeneration. The quiet, natural location directly on the ocean, the modern infrastructure and the spacious outdoor facilities completely convinced team boss Ralf Rangnick during the sightseeing tour in December.
The pleasant climatic conditions, high-quality fitness and regeneration facilities as well as short distances enable players and coaches to consistently focus on training and recovery – key aspects given the air travel to the match venues and the associated challenges.
Alaba and Co are training here for the World Cup in the USA Jeff Liang
The national team will train at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), about a ten-minute drive away. UCSB has an extensive and modern sporting infrastructure and, with its successful men’s and women’s teams, is one of the most renowned college football locations on the US West Coast. The Harder Stadium serves as the central training facility with around 17,000 seats.
In the area of fitness and regeneration, the UCSB Recreation Center offers excellent conditions with state-of-the-art strength and fitness areas, functional training zones and active recovery options.
The ÖFB team’s own training stadium Jeff Liang
“Santa Barbara was the absolute dream location for me – because of the first-class training conditions and because of the perfect environment that awaits the team. I am convinced that every player will feel comfortable there and that we can prepare optimally for our tasks. I am very pleased that Bernhard Neuhold, together with our team managers Lennart Coerdt and Mario Margreiter, were able to fix this arrangement,” says team boss Ralf Rangnick.
„I am very pleased that we were able to present team boss Ralf Rangnick’s desired solution as a team base camp. For the ÖFB and me personally, it was of central importance to provide the national team with the best possible conditions. My big thanks go to the operational team, who have done hard work over the last few weeks, and to Ralf Rangnick, who personally led the inspection tour. Further proof that we are focused on leading the team towards the World Cup,” said ÖFB supervisory board chairman Josef Pröll.
The ÖFB selection does not play any of its three group games in the Los Angeles area, but the World Cup opening game against Jordan (June 17th, 6:00 a.m. CEST) will take place in Santa Clara, south of San Francisco, in California. The remaining group games against Argentina (June 22, 7:00 p.m. CEST) and Algeria (June 28, 4:00 a.m. CEST) will take place in Dallas and Kansas City, respectively. If the Austrians advance to the round of 16 as second in the group, it would take place on July 2nd in Los Angeles.
