The Nottawasaga Resort in New Tecumseth is the only FIFA team basecamp in Ontario for the 2026 edition of the tournament.Arisa Valyear/The Globe and Mail
In May, FIFA announced where the 48 participating teams would be staying – and training – for the weeks-long soccer tournament. Split between the three host countries, 39 teams set up shop in the U.S., while Mexico claimed seven teams and Canada only two. Canada’s national team would reside in Vancouver, at the National Soccer Development Centre, and team Panama would settle into the rolling hills of New Tecumseth, Ont., at the roughly 230-hectare Nottawasaga Resort, about an hour north of Toronto.
Some 44,000 people call the town home. It’s by no means Ontario’s smallest, but New Tecumseth’s mid-sized population, sprawling farm fields and charming local flair feel quaint in comparison with bustling Toronto’s three million, or even neighbouring Vaughan’s 345,000 residents. “This is probably the largest event that’s ever happened here in terms of sports and recreation,” New Tecumseth Mayor Richard Norcross said in an interview with The Globe. “It’s an important opportunity for us to showcase our community on the global stage.”
There are suitable training facilities in metropolitan hubs all across the country, including Toronto, which plays host to six games – two of which Panama will play in. But few places, as it turns out, have two international-sized soccer pitches, comfortable lodging for a 26-man squad (plus coaches, trainers and other staff) and a slew of amenities, including two pools and 36 holes of golf – right on the premises.
Being able to walk to practices and other activities is a big benefit. “The logistics of transporting players by bus is actually quite complex when you factor in security, FIFA escorts and even just city traffic,” Dino Biffis, the resort’s vice-president and the son of its founder, told The Globe. The late Lou Biffis purchased the land – a sod farm – in 1959 and transformed it into an inn, which opened in 1968.
Sylvia Biffis, left, and her brother, Dino, stand in the Lobby Bar at the Nottawasaga Resort. Sylvia is wearing a Panama jersey while Dino holds a 2026 FIFA World Cup ball and sports a 1994 World Cup shirt, a nod to when the resort hosted the German national team ahead of the ’94 tournament.Arisa Valyear/The Globe and Mail
“Here, you walk out to the parking lot and you’re at the soccer field,” Sylvia Biffis, Dino’s sister and director of sales at Nottawasaga Resort, said in an interview. “Plus, you’re in a beautiful rural setting with zero distractions where the focus really is on the training.”
Another bonus? The Nottawasaga Resort has hosted world-class athletes before. Both the women’s and men’s Canadian national teams have trained there, plus Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon (the country’s third-most decorated team and Union of European Football Associations Champions League competitors) and homegrown squad Toronto FC.
Most notably, the men’s German national team used the resort as a practice facility ahead of the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Hosting the reigning world champions (the Germans clinched the title in 1990) put the small-town inn on the map as a training hot spot worthy of the sport’s elite.
The Adidas Trionda, the official game ball for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, on the Kentucky bluegrass pitch at the Nottawasaga Resort on June 11.Arisa Valyear/The Globe and Mail
At the time, the facility already had one international-sized pitch on site that was added in 1977 and used recreationally. “Berti Vogts, the coach of the German squad, came to scout out the facility because the team’s first few games were in Chicago and the conditions and climate here were similar,” Dino says. “He rubbed the grass and said, ‘This is good. Can you build us a second field?’ and we did.” The regulation field was added in 1993 and was later expanded to international size in 2013.
More than three decades later, Canada Soccer came knocking. “They called us in 2019 to ask if we were interested in participating in the World Cup, potentially as a base camp, and we said absolutely,” Sylvia said. In 2020, City of Toronto officials reached out, and two years later, Ontario’s capital was announced as an official host city.
Base-camp locations were finalized in 2024 and 2025, and it wasn’t until 2026 that FIFA teams started scouting the location. “Three teams visited us. Norway, Croatia and Panama,” Dino says. Based on FIFA’s selection process criteria, which takes into consideration a team’s preference, their ranking and the number of nearby games, Panama won.
Panama goalkeeper César Samudio says he’s been enjoying the natural surroundings in New Tecumseth, Ont.Arisa Valyear/The Globe and Mail
The team arrived at the resort on June 7, and so far, they seem fairly pleased with their home base. A few players have spoken at recent press conferences, through a translator, about the resort, with winger Édgar Yoel Bárcenas commenting on its distance from the city, and winger César Yanis adding that he thinks the remote location will help the team in terms of concentration. Goalkeeper César Samudio, a self-described nature fan, said he’s enjoying the natural surroundings and that he thinks the team will have a good tournament.
The group got to put the facility to the test on June 11 at an open practice where some 300 attendees were invited to watch the team run drills and play scrimmages. The balls rolled, bounced and bobbled along the newly upgraded pitch, complete with a freshly laid blend of Kentucky bluegrass shipped in from Hamilton’s Greenhorizons Sod Farms, new drainage and irrigation systems, a bed of (levelled and regraded) filtered soil and a FIFA-approved slope.
Huddled around the field, onlookers relished the opportunity to witness some of the world’s best soccer players prepare for the sport’s biggest competition. (A beefed-up security presence, privacy fencing and an Ontario Provincial Police-issued no-fly zone over the area have been set up to avoid prying eyes.)
José Aulenti, centre, and from left to right, his son, Fabio, wife, Maria, friend, Eloy Pinto, and son Lucio, attend Panama’s open practice at the Nottawasaga Resort on June 11.Arisa Valyear/The Globe and Mail
José Aulenti, his wife, Maria and sons Fabio, 15, and Lucio, 13, travelled from Toronto to attend the event. The family lived in Panama for seven years before moving to Canada in 2022. “I love the vibe here and the energy is great. To see how the team trains and prepares for the tournament is amazing,” Aulenti said. Their family friend, Panama-born Eloy Pinto, also joined them for the session.
Myles Fiorini, 12, sports his freshly autographed FIFA World Cup 2026 T-shirt.Arisa Valyear/The Globe and Mail
New Tecumseth locals Dianna Fiorini and her son, Myles, 12, were grateful for the opportunity to see the team up close. “He’s a die hard,” Dianna said of her son, who plays on a local competitive squad as a midfielder. Myles said he was impressed by the sheer height and speed of the Panamanians. He even walked away with several signatures on his 2026 FIFA World Cup-branded T-shirt, including Bárcenas and one of the team’s goalkeepers, John David Gunn.
Fans also got to witness a special appearance of support from Panamanian baseball player José Caballero of the New York Yankees. Speaking with The Globe and Mail, Caballero spoke highly of the resort. “It’s nice, it’s a little far from where I’m staying, but the facilities, hotel and the pitch are really good,” he said. And the Canadian fans? “They always show up for their country and their teams. Whenever we play the Blue Jays, the fans are loud and I like that. I like that they get involved in the game.”
Panama Defender Carlos Harvey, who also plays for Minnesota United FC in MLS, shakes hands with a fan during his warm-up run.Arisa Valyear/The Globe and Mail
The well-attended event was an early marker of success in the Panama team’s stay, who will take on Ghana in their opening match at Toronto Stadium on Wednesday. It’s also a point of pride for Dino and Sylvia, who are keen to continue honouring their father’s hospitality legacy whether through global tournaments or local ones (hockey, dance and figure skating competitions often pass through the resort). “Family is at the heart of everything that happens here,” Dino says. “We’re all in.”
And what would their father, a dedicated soccer fan and skilled defenceman, think of the World Cup spotlight shining on the resort? “He would be so happy,” Sylvia said. “Yeah. He’s smiling,” Dino added.