São Paulo on the list: Cotia chosen by Fifa for Women's World Cup | OneFootball

The Presidente Laudo Natel Athlete Training Center, in Cotia, home of São Paulo’s youth academy, was included by FIFA in the first official list of training centers eligible to host national teams during the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil.

At this initial stage, football’s governing body selected 38 training centers across the country. A new version of the catalog will be released by the end of 2026, when the qualified teams and the competition groups will already be defined, allowing the final selection of each delegation’s base camp.

SÃO PAULO WILL PROFIT

Clubs whose facilities are used during the World Cup will receive financial compensation from FIFA. The amount will be calculated according to the period of occupancy of the training centers. The same model will be adopted for the stadiums that will host matches. For example, the Maracanã will receive US$200,000 per match held during the tournament. Thus, São Paulo will profit from making its training center in Cotia available.

In all, 52 cities across 12 Brazilian states are part of FIFA’s plan to host delegations. São Paulo was the state with the highest number of facilities evaluated, with 45 training centers inspected in 17 municipalities.

TRICOLOR REMAINS A BENCHMARK

The choice of Cotia reinforces the international recognition of the structure São Paulo has built over the past few years. Since the complex was inaugurated, the club has carried out a series of expansions that have turned the site into one of the continent’s leading references in athlete development.

In 2011, the CFA gained a stadium with capacity for around 1,500 spectators, intended for youth team matches. The following year, an accommodation facility with capacity for up to 148 people was inaugurated, used both by the club’s athletes and visiting delegations.

Thanks to the quality of its infrastructure, the training center has already served as a base for several national teams. In 2012, Brazil’s senior national team used the facility during its preparation for friendlies. Two years later, Colombia chose Cotia as its training base during the World Cup held in Brazil.

The Brazil women’s national team also trained at the complex in 2016, while the CBF’s under-17 and under-15 teams spent time there during different preparation periods.

In recent years, the CFA has continued to be a frequent destination for international delegations. In 2019, it hosted Japan’s Olympic team and accommodated Bolivia during the Copa América. More recently, the United States women’s national team used the facilities before the friendly against Brazil, held in São Paulo.

Beyond international football, Cotia has also been strengthening its international profile through partnerships with major clubs. In 2025, São Paulo hosted a delegation from Germany’s VfB Stuttgart as part of an exchange agreement focused on youth development. During the visit, the Germans stayed at the CFA and took part in the New Balance Under-19 Cup.

With its place on FIFA’s list confirmed, São Paulo’s training center further enhances its reputation as one of the country’s top sports facilities and establishes itself as a strong candidate to host one of the teams participating in the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.