World Cup teams go to extraordinary lengths over food, shipping tons of ingredients across the world, flying in personal chefs, and even bringing a dedicated barista.
Here are some of the most unique food stories from national squads and why teams refuse to gamble on the local menu.
The teams with the strangest food habits
From a “Viking kitchen” to a personal barista, several squads treat catering as seriously as tactics.
Norway: a ton of fish, cheese and 6,000 oranges
Norway shipped more than 1,000kg of its own food to its base in Greensboro, North Carolina, for its first World Cup in 28 years.
According to The Business Standard, the shipment included:
- Fish: 300kg of Atlantic salmon and white fish
- Cheese: 116kg of brunost, Norway’s caramelised brown cheese
- Fruit: around 6,000 oranges
Lead chef Aron Espeland, who has cooked for the team for 35 years, runs a three-chef “Viking kitchen” serving four meals a day for a party of more than 60 people.
Australia: the squad’s own barista
Australia flew a dedicated barista to the 2022 World Cup in Doha to keep the Socceroos caffeinated.
Barista Alexia Ralevski made up to 80 coffees a day for players and staff at the team’s training base.
Striker Jamie Maclaren’s order of choice was a “magic” — a double ristretto in a three-quarter-full latte that became a squad favourite.
England: a chef built around recovery
England has long travelled with its own chef, with Omar Meziane cooking for the Three Lions at the 2018 World Cup and beyond.
His menus are built around performance and recovery — lean protein and extra carbohydrates before matches.
After games, the rules loosen, with burgers and pizza brought out to help players refuel.
Japan: two decades of the same pre-match menu
Japan long travelled with its own chef, Yoshiteru Nishi, who cooked for the national team from 2004 across five World Cups, the last in Qatar in 2022.
In the three days before a match he served a fixed menu of hamburger steak, miso-marinated grilled sablefish and unagi eel.
“If I don’t serve this particular menu, everything will go wrong,” Nishi told JIJI Press before his final tournament.
Argentina: an asado and a chef at his seventh World Cup
For the reigning champions, the grill is non-negotiable. Argentina’s players are rarely without their mate, and the squad’s asado — a barbecue of beef, chorizo and sausage — travels with them everywhere.
At the 2022 World Cup, Argentina took around 900kg of beef to Qatar, with neighbours Uruguay shipping the same again.
The grill is run by chef Diego Iacovone, now at his seventh World Cup with the national team.
Coach Lionel Scaloni has described the asado as less about the meat and more about “an atmosphere of union and collective chemistry.”
Brazil: a protein ice cream machine in New Jersey
Brazil built its tournament around an 80-acre base at the Columbia Park training facility in Morris Township, New Jersey.
According to Open Magazine, the camp’s kitchen is fully equipped for the squad’s diet — and even includes a protein ice cream machine for personalised nutrition.
It is a step on from 2022, when Brazil packed Brazilian coffee, seasonings and 30kg of cassava flour to make farofa in Qatar.
France: own snacks on campus, fine dining at the hotel
France set up at Bentley University near Boston, training on its pitches while staying at the Four Seasons.
According to The Boston Globe, the squad relies on its own nutrition drinks and snacks at the training base but takes its main meals at the hotel.
Saudi Arabia: a team chef, even in barbecue country
Based in Austin, Texas — a city famous for its barbecue — Saudi Arabia’s Green Falcons stick strictly to their own kitchen.
“We travel with our team chef, so we are always having specific kinds of healthy meals, and that doesn’t give us the opportunity to discover Austin’s foods,” forward Sultan Mandash told the Austin American-Statesman.
The squad trains at the St. David’s Performance Center and Q2 Stadium, keeping its routine — and its diet — tightly controlled.
Why teams won’t gamble on the local menu
The reasoning is performance, not fussiness — sudden diet changes can disrupt digestion, sleep and concentration.
Norway’s staff say their plan is designed to minimise the risks of eating unfamiliar food while competing abroad.
There is also a climate angle. Familiar meals help players cope with the heat and humidity of the southern United States, conditions far removed from Norwegian cities like Bergen and Tromsø.
The 6,000 oranges tap into one of football’s oldest habits. Oranges have been a half-time staple for decades thanks to their water, vitamin C and natural sugars.
None of this is unusual any more. A majority of competing teams now bring their own food, chefs and dietitians, treating nutrition as seriously as training.
Follow the 2026 teams
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which teams brought their own food to the World Cup?
Norway shipped more than 1,000kg of fish, cheese and oranges to its US base in 2026, while Australia flew a personal barista to Qatar in 2022. England has long travelled with its own chef.
What do Argentina and Brazil eat at the World Cup?
Argentina relies on the asado, a traditional barbecue run by long-serving team chef Diego Iacovone, and took around 900kg of beef to Qatar in 2022. Brazil’s New Jersey base camp has a fully equipped kitchen, including a protein ice cream machine.
Does Saudi Arabia bring its own chef to the World Cup?
Yes. Based in Austin, Texas, Saudi Arabia travels with its own team chef and sticks to set healthy meals, with forward Sultan Mandash noting the squad does not get to try the local food.
Why don’t World Cup teams just eat local food?
Sudden diet changes can affect digestion, sleep and concentration, which all influence performance. Most elite squads travel with their own chefs and dietitians to remove that risk.
What did Norway bring to the 2026 World Cup?
Norway brought 300kg of fish, 116kg of brunost cheese and around 6,000 oranges to its base in Greensboro, North Carolina. A three-chef team prepares four meals a day for the squad.
Sources
- The Business Standard — Norway ships salmon, brown cheese and oranges to US base for World Cup return
- beIN Sports — Norway Brought a Ton of Food to the FIFA World Cup 2026
- ESPN — Barista-brewed ‘magic’ coffee boosting Socceroos at World Cup
- Goal.com — Meet Southgate’s trusted England head chef Omar Meziane
- beIN Sports — Argentina brings a traditional asado to training camp
- ESPN — Argentina, Uruguay take 4,000 pounds of meat to World Cup
- Open Magazine — Inside Brazil’s 80-acre World Cup base camp
- The Boston Globe — Why France is practicing at Bentley University
- Austin American-Statesman — Saudi Arabia relishes time in Austin during World Cup
- JIJI Press — Japan men’s soccer team chef ready for 5th, final World Cup
- Morocco World News — Senegal in World Cup spotlight for the wrong reasons
- NBC Sports — 2026 World Cup base camps: Where each team will be based
- Al Jazeera — World Cup 2026 base camps: Where the teams stay and train
- The Conversation — How and why did half-time oranges become a tradition?
- Fox News — World Cup teams make sure players are well-fed with in-house chefs
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