ADRENALIN REPORTS I N 1994, Ontario’s Nottawasaga Resort hosted the German National Team during the FIFA World Cup, so they were ready to step up to host again in 2026—almost. “We were required to tear apart our main soccer pitch and rebuild it to a FIFA standard,” says Nottawasaga vice-president Dino Biffis. “We had to tear off the top layer, bring in topsoil, regrade it and reconfigure our irrigation system.” Work had to be carried out over the winter of 2025 in carefully timed stages whenever temperatures and precipitation allowed. “We literally got the grass down on the last day of April [2026], so then we had until the day they started officially, June 11, for it to grow into place,” says Sylvia Biffis, Nottawasaga’s director of group sales and Dino Biffis’s sister. YEARS IN THE MAKING The road to becoming a FIFA 2026 venue started years earlier, she explains. Besides soccer, the resort is equipped to host elite-level hockey, rugby, dance and skating events. About 15 years ago, resort representatives began attending annual sports conferences in Ottawa to highlight their facilities, which led to the Alliston, ON, resort being chosen as a 2015 Pan American Games athletes’ village. Thus, when Canada, the US and Mexico won the FIFA bid in 2018, Canada Soccer recommended Nottawasaga as a potential Team Base Camp venue. FIFA connected the resort with teams that expressed interest, each of which assessed and ranked a shortlist of choices. The final choice was based partly on the teams’ preferences and partly on other considerations, such as the team’s ranking in world competition and the proximity of their scheduled games to the venue. Once chosen, the resort received considerable support from FIFA—including a dedicated groundskeeper imported from England’s Premier League. Norway, Croatia and Panama toured Nottawasaga and two of the three ranked it as their number-one choice. “We were the first choice for Norway; they were attracted to our site because of all the greenery around them; it reminded them of home,” Sylvia says, adding that the relative privacy of the resort—a little outside the spotlight of a major urban centre—is also a plus. Ultimately, Panama’s Men’s National Team selected Nottawasaga as its home base. HOME AWAY FROM HOME “A real feel-good moment was the first day that Panama stepped onto the field,” says Dino. “To see 300-odd families with kids watching the event, and to see the players signing autographs and taking pictures: really great moments.” However, from that point on, “it was all in for three weeks, hands on, no days off,” he says. “It was their home away from home, but it was also the Nottawasaga family taking care of the Panama family,” says Sylvia. “We are lucky that we have a lot of Spanish-speaking staff who understand the cultural needs and the language. It was sad seeing them go; it was like family members leaving.” CANADA’S HOME BASE Vancouver’s National Soccer Development Centre was chosen to host Canada’s Men’s National Team. “Knowing that our facility played even a small role in supporting the team ahead of such a historic tournament was incredibly meaningful,” says Axel Schuster, CEO and BASE CAMP HEROES Canada’s two FIFA Team Base Camps prove major-event impact isn’t limited to match venues. Sometimes, the biggest opportunity is behind the scenes. BY SARAH B. HOOD Team Panama signing autographs at Nottawasaga Resort Team Panama training at Nottawasaga Resort 20 ADRENALIN | FALL 2026