Diego Maradona arrived out of shape at Babson College in June 1994, as Argentina used the small Massachusetts school as a pre-World Cup base camp. The federation resurfaced Babson’s pitch, installed new goals and brought global television attention. Jon Anderson, then 40 and the men’s coach, chauffeured a late-arriving Maradona to a nearby gym and called the experience “a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” adding that “without a doubt, it was also a revenue producer for us. We made money and upgraded our facilities for free.”
Some of soccer’s biggest stars returned to the United States in 2026 and college athletic departments again sought to leverage World Cup attention. The recent summer featured viral moments involving Lionel Messi, fresh infusions of expensive equipment on campuses and on-field exhibitions that generated seven-figure revenues. Those opportunities came as colleges face rising costs for athletics and look for new revenue streams.
Texas A&M drew 91,102 spectators to Kyle Field on June 6 for Argentina’s initial pre-World Cup friendly, and Auburn hosted a record crowd of 88,043 at Jordan-Hare Stadium three days later, when Messi scored in a 3-0 exhibition win over Iceland. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M’s quarterback, lingered in the visitors’ tunnel after Argentina’s friendly with Honduras holding a maroon football jersey signed with a personalized message: “To Leo, Gig’ Em!” It did not matter that Messi had not played in his nation’s 2-0 win earlier that night.
Thirteen universities hosted national team base camps this summer on campuses ranging from Rutgers, with a student population of 46,934, to Westmont College, with 1,293 students. Another 12 schools, including Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma and TCU, were considered among 62 FIFA-approved World Cup training sites. Schools reported a mix of benefits from hosting, including direct financial gain, social media traction, facility improvements and increased brand awareness.
Texas A&M associate athletic director Taylor McGillis framed the interest in commercial terms, saying, “Most every athletic department has been reliant on tickets and fundraising and sponsorships,” and adding, “We’re more open to going down roads that we probably previously haven’t gone down if there’s really good commercial upside for us.” Scott Leykam, athletic director at the University of Portland, noted schools can’t always host concerts or rodeos but “can host a soccer training camp for weeks at a time. It’d be silly not to.”
