Title
Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute a Transient Occupancy Tax Sharing Agreement with the Oakland Roots & Soul in an Amount Not-To-Exceed $150,000 in Support of a World Cup Team in their Alameda Facility during the World Cup Tournament in Summer, 2026. (Base Reuse and Economic Development 10061810)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jennifer Ott, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the summer of 2026, the FIFA Men's World Cup tournament will be held in North America. The Oakland Roots & Soul (Roots) has been approached by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to have its training facility, located in Alameda, be designated as a Team Base Camp Training Site. The main benefit to the host community and surrounding area of being a Team Base Camp is the thousands of fans interested in following a team, especially one that is highly ranked. However, the Roots training facility would require upgrades, and the host is expected to carry other costs estimated at $700,000. This item would enable the Roots to share up to a maximum of $150,000 from the City of Alameda Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) tax increment above a baseline amount, in support of the proposal to FIFA to sponsor a World Cup team at the Alameda-based training facility during the 2026 World Cup.
BACKGROUND
In the summer of 2026, the FIFA Men's World Cup tournament will be held throughout North America. The Roots has been approached by FIFA to have its training facility, located in Alameda, to be designated as a Team Base Camp Training Site. While the closest games will be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, each World Cup team needs a Base Camp as a location to stay and train throughout the tournament. Given that the high-quality facility for the Roots is located less than one mile from the Oakland Airport, the Bay Area's temperate climate, and world class tourism opportunities, FIFA representative...
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