The World Cup will be played elsewhere this summer, but San Diego is not sitting out the party.
With FIFA’s spectacle coming to Los Angeles and spreading across the continent, local sports officials saw an opening to connect the city to the biggest global event in sports.
Sports San Diego’s first move was to aggressively pitch the city as a training base camp — a place where national teams could live, train and settle during their tournament run.
That effort worked. Switzerland and New Zealand selected San Diego as their temporary World Cup homes.
Sports San Diego CEO Mark Neville said Switzerland wanted to arrange a friendly while based in San Diego, and already had Australia lined up as the opponent.
Around the same time, San Diego FC was working separately on a Colombia-Jordan friendly for Sunday. Once the overlap became clear, four groups — Sports San Diego, SDFC, Snapdragon Stadium and Lions Sports & Media — decided to make a weekend of it.
The result is “Countdown to 2026,” a two-day international soccer event bringing four World Cup teams to Mission Valley one week before the tournament begins. Australia plays Switzerland at noon Saturday, while Colombia and Jordan square off at 4 p.m. Sunday.
“We got two international friendlies, four teams that are participating in the FIFA World Cup, playing right here in San Diego, less than a week before the tournament gets started,” said Neville. “It doesn’t happen very often that we’re able to do something like this.”
For a city that has spent the past few years trying to establish itself as a serious soccer market — from SDFC’s arrival in Major League Soccer and the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League to the growing pull of major international events — this weekend offers another test of the region’s soccer appetite.
Australia, ranked No. 27 in the world, is of immediate interest to U.S. fans.
The Socceroos are the Americans’ second opponent in Group D, meeting the United States on June 19 in Seattle. Switzerland, No. 19 in the FIFA rankings, sits in Group B and could become a knockout-round obstacle for Mexico depending on how the bracket breaks.
Switzerland reached the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 before falling to England on penalties and has built its modern reputation on structure, midfield maturity and competitive nerve. Granit Xhaka remains the organizing force, with Remo Freuler another steadying presence in midfield.
There is also history to chase. Since hosting the 1954 World Cup, when they reached the quarterfinals, the Swiss have never progressed past the second round.
Their preparation for Saturday’s friendly, however, came with a late complication. Breel Embolo’s travel clearance to enter the United States had been under review because of a past criminal conviction tied to an incident in 2018, delaying the arrival of the Swiss striker.
Embolo was scheduled to arrive in San Diego on Friday evening. Still, that timeline could still affect his availability for the match.
Australia’s challenge is different. While Switzerland is trying to break through the ceiling of a steady, durable European program, the Socceroos are trying to push a transitional roster toward a first World Cup knockout win.
Tony Popovic took over a team that had been wobbling under Graham Arnold and pushed it through Asian qualifying with discipline and defensive structure. A rugged center back in his playing days, Popovic has leaned into those same traits as a coach.
Australia arrives with a 26-man squad — 18 of whom are experiencing their first-ever World Cup cycle. Captain Mat Ryan and Mathew Leckie give the Socceroos tournament experience, but much of the intrigue sits with the younger players.
After Saturday, the stakes sharpen quickly.
Switzerland opens Group B against Qatar before facing Bosnia-Herzegovina and co-host Canada. Australia opens against Turkiye, then faces the United States and Paraguay.
‘Countdown to 2026’ exhibitions
What: World Cup friendlies
Who: Switzerland vs. Australia, noon, Saturday; Colombia vs. Jordan, 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Snapdragon Stadium
