PIMA COUNTY, (Feb. 23, 2026) – Kino Sports Complex will serve as a team base camp training site for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, hosting the Iran National Team (IR Iran) beginning in June.

The selection continues a recent run of international recognition for Kino, following its designation as a World Baseball Classic Qualifier site in March 2025.

“We’re excited to be a part of another international, world-class athletic competition and continue growing Kino’s reputation for having elite facilities for multiple sporting events,” said Sarah Horvath, director of the Kino Sports Complex. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to show off Kino and Pima County.”

After identifying Kino as a potential base camp site in December 2024, FIFA supported the qualified national teams in selecting their base camps for this year’s FIFA World Cup™, which will be played in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

IR Iran is scheduled to begin training at Kino in early June in advance of FIFA World Cup group play.

“Our goal is to be a welcoming camp environment and provide the best possible experience for the team to prepare and be successful in the tournament,” Horvath said.

The 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four, with each team playing the three other opponents in its group. The top two teams in each group and the eight third-place teams with the most points advance to the single-elimination Round of 32.

The Iran National Team, which is in Group G, will play New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21, and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

The team could remain at Kino through its Round of 32 match, if it advances.

Horvath acknowledged the efforts of multiple community partners.

FC Tucson offered the opportunity to serve as a base camp for Kino and assisted with the initial pitch presentation. Visit Tucson signed an agreement with FIFA that allowed the complex to qualify as a training site. The Southern Arizona Sports, Tourism, & Film Authority helped with both agreements and assisted on site tours.

“Landing an opportunity of this magnitude was no easy feat and took everyone working together,” Horvath said. “And our grounds crew works tirelessly to maintain our world-class facilities.”

Kino Sports Complex hosts numerous youth, amateur, and professional sporting events each year, including soccer, baseball, rugby, football, lacrosse, softball, and pickleball. The complex also serves as a venue for a variety of entertainment, cultural, and business events throughout the year.

Kino is home to the professional soccer club FC Tucson, has hosted Major League Soccer preseason, and supports year-round amateur and youth soccer competition at the local, regional, and national levels.

TUCSON, AZ (February 20, 2026) — A 6.3-acre C-2 general commercial land parcel at 5070 E. Valencia Road in Tucson’s South submarket traded for $800,000 ($126,936 per acre, or $2.91 PSF) in an all-cash transaction that closed January 9, 2026.

The site totals 274,532 square feet and sits near the Valencia Road/I-10 interchange, positioning it as a freeway-oriented commercial opportunity with regional access advantages. Marketing materials cited proximity to major employment drivers, including Davis–Monthan Air Force Base and Tucson International Airport.

The seller was WB Real Estate LLC (San Antonio, Texas), and the buyer was 5070 E Valencia LLC of Tucson, David Williams, manager.

The property was characterized as an investment sale, with the buyer proposing a multifamily concept for the site.

Brokers on the transaction included Velocity Retail Group, Brian Harpel, and Darren Pitts for the seller, and Tucson Realty & Trust Company, Michael Gross, who represented the buyer.

For more information, Harpel can be reached at 520.721.7999, Pitts at 602.682.6050, and Gross should be contacted at 520.577.7000.

Source: RED Comp #12302

MARANA, AZ (February 20, 2026) — The Town of Marana has determined that referendum petitions filed to put a proposed data center rezoning to a public vote do not meet the requirements under Arizona law.

Town officials said the petitions failed to include the legal description of the properties involved, which is required for zoning ordinances, according to a press release issued Wednesday.

The two referendum petitions were submitted Feb. 4 by Arizonans for Responsible Development,  a committee sponsored by the advocacy group Worker Power,  and contained about 2,800 signatures each, exceeding the threshold required.

The announcement came hours after the No Desert Data Center Coalition, another group involved in gathering signatures from Marana residents, said Worker Power had attempted to withdraw the petitions.

In a social media statement, the Coalition said Worker Power “has chosen to try and withdraw the petitions that more than 2800 of you signed,” calling the move “a betrayal of our trust,” and said it would explain more in the coming weeks.

The petitions sought to overturn a rezoning decision approved by the Marana Town Council in January that would allow a data center campus to be developed in Marana by the developers, Beale Infrasturcture.

Marana officials said that on Tuesday, Feb. 17, a representative for Arizonans for Responsible Development submitted a written request asking that the petitions be withdrawn.

The request, submitted by Barton Mendez Soto PLLC,  an employment and election law firm representing the committee,  stated that “the Committee retracts the petitions signatures it submitted in support of both of these measures and no longer supports placing these measures on the ballot.”

The correspondence also stated the committee bore responsibility for circulating an invalid petition because it failed to attach the title and text to petition sheets.

Marana officials said the town does not have statutory authority to withdraw referendum petitions once they have been filed and is legally required to complete the administrative review process.

The Marana Town Clerk has 20 business days to verify whether the petitions meet the minimum requirement for eligible signatures before forwarding them to the Pima County Recorder’s Office for review.

Under the Town of Marana Code, referendums challenging a town ordinance or resolution must be filed within 30 days of adoption by the Town Council.

The Marana Town Council on Jan. 6 unanimously approved the rezoning of two adjacent parcels of agricultural land. As a result, the data center project cannot refile a referendum petition challenging the council’s decision.