FC Tulsa’s Stadium Plans Gain Momentum with FIFA World Cup Training Visit Looming

FC Tulsa is advancing plans for a new stadium while attracting FIFA’s attention as a potential 2026 World Cup training site.

We break it down in this Q&A with Caleb Sewell, Sporting Director for FC Tulsa.

Q: How do you feel about where the team is right now in the season?

A: We’re really pleased with where we are. Honestly, I don’t think anyone expected us to get here this quickly. From the start, we focused on our “recipe”, raising standards, changing the way we work, and making sure the players felt that change the moment they came back into the building. We said we’d be very competitive this year, and we believe that.

Records are nice, but they’re just a byproduct of how well we’re playing. We’ve told the players to stay humble and focused because teams now want to knock off the first-place club. We may not get the respect we deserve around the league yet, but that fuels us.

Q: How has the home atmosphere contributed to this run?

A: The last match said it all, scoring in the 90th minute and hearing the loudest crowd I’ve experienced here. Tulsa understands we’ve got a winning group. More people are coming, the brand is getting out there, and we’re building a fun, vibrant in-game experience. Fans told us in the offseason they wanted a team that fights, I think we deliver that in abundance.

Q: Looking ahead, do you stay the course or are there still areas to improve?

A: There’s tons of room for improvement, technically, club-wide, everywhere. The DNA will remain, but styles evolve. We’ll have decisions to make on players for various reasons. We’ve had people from around the league call and ask, “What’s going on in Tulsa?” Our owners are investing heavily, just look at the training pitch. FIFA is even visiting next week. We want to be a consistent contender, and that means sticking to our plan while getting better.

Q: Have you had time to enjoy the success, or are you too focused on the next match?

A: This place runs at 100 miles an hour, so it’s tough to pause. Friends, coaches, and agents have reached out with compliments, which is nice. But we try not to get caught up in it. Personally, I’m proud that we’re delivering on what we said we’d do in the offseason. A big part of that was assembling the right staff, Luke winning Coach of the Month, bringing in Andrew from Australia, Leandro from Brazil, Lex staying on, plus a new team admin. The process came together quickly.

Q: You’ve said you wanted players who are good people as well as good athletes. How has that shaped the team?

A: It’s easy to say you want that, but harder to do in practice. Luke and I aligned early on building the right culture. Look at Louisville — they’re competitive every year because of stability and player-driven culture. We went after personalities that would drive that here. AB is a great example, phenomenal human, team-first leader, and captain. We never skip the character check in recruitment. If a player won’t have that conversation, we don’t sign them.

Q: How important has home success been for growing the fan base?

A: Huge. Listening to fans in the offseason, they just wanted a winner to celebrate. Now more people are attending, and we want to make ONEOK Field intimidating for opponents. We also want to tap into Tulsa’s Hispanic community, we have Spanish-speaking players who would love that support. Filling the stadium makes a real difference, especially late in the season. We want visiting teams to dread coming here.

Q: FIFA is visiting next week about possibly using Tulsa as a World Cup training site. How big would that be?

A: Massive. It shows our infrastructure is among the league’s best, top two in training facilities. That’s a credit to ownership. If chosen, it makes Tulsa part of the World Cup, not just a city to watch games in. We’re already planning watch parties, youth access programs, and city-wide events. Hosting a national team would be a huge feather in our cap.

Q: Would hosting Olympic events help Tulsa’s World Cup bid?

A: It doesn’t hurt, but FIFA operates by its own standards. We check a lot of boxes... facilities, geography, even having an airport right across the street. Ultimately, both events would showcase Tulsa to the world and align with ownership’s goal of putting this city on the map through sports and entertainment.

Q: You have themed match nights like Greenwood Night. How do these fit into your vision?

A: They’re key to our brand, vibrant, inclusive, and part of your weekend plans. Greenwood Night was a huge success, with a kit launch and MLS Black Players for Change partnership. We want to keep creating kid-friendly, affordable, and fun experiences that make people come back. Winning makes it even better.

Q: Any updates on the soccer-specific stadium project?

A: It’s moving in the right direction. One of our owners, Ryan Kraft, has said publicly that progress is being made. It’s not a “10 years from now” idea, it’s something ownership is actively working on now.