Portugal's national team is training at Gardens North County District Park ahead of the summer 2026 tournament. Here's what the camp looks like from the outside: early beach runs, dinners that don't start before nine, and the Portuguese expat spots in West Palm that come alive when the Seleção is in town.
The training ground: Gardens North County District Park
The park is inland, off Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens. Full-size pitches, decent facilities, enough room to keep the press and the autograph-seekers at a distance. When the team isn't using it, youth leagues and weekend tournaments take over the same fields. By 10 a.m. in late May the sun is genuinely brutal, so the team trains early.
During closed sessions, security keeps everyone back. Outside the fence, though, there's a whole scene: people selling scarves out of bags, families in red and green, the vaguely carnival energy of fans who drove two hours to stand near a perimeter. Parking is fine. Bring a hat and water. There's nothing walkable in the immediate area, but the Intracoastal and the quieter beaches up the coast are ten minutes by car.
Dawn on Jupiter Beach
Ronaldo's pre-dawn routine has been documented to death: up early, hydrate, run the beach or a track before the rest of the squad shows up. Jupiter Beach, about twenty minutes north, is the likely spot. Firm sand, warm water even in May, and before 6 a.m. the only people out are surfers and retirees walking dogs. Carlin Park has public access and outdoor showers. A hat and sunglasses still work for anonymity.
The early light is soft and gold. By seven the humidity settles in and families start arriving. There are a few juice and açaí places in Jupiter, but most open closer to eight, so check hours. It's not a scene. People come, work out, leave.
Worth Avenue and old-money dining
Worth Avenue runs east-west across Palm Beach island: arcaded shops, clipped hedges, restaurants that have outlasted decades of hurricanes and rotating fortunes. Café Boulud at The Brazilian Court is the name everyone knows. White tablecloths, shaded courtyard, French-leaning menu. HMF at The Breakers is another option. Both need reservations. You'll be wearing a jacket in 85-degree heat, which is its own kind of commitment.
The whole squad isn't showing up to Worth Avenue for dinner. But a few players, some staff, a sponsor dinner? That happens. And Portugal eats late enough that the pace fits. Walk the street around five or six, when the light turns the stucco warm and the only sounds are shopping bags and low conversation. Whether that appeals to you is a separate question.
Portuguese expat corners in West Palm
Cross the Intracoastal into West Palm Beach and the city changes. The streets get wider, the landscaping less obsessive. Clematis Street downtown has restaurants and bars, and when matches are on during a tournament summer, the ones with screens turn into something closer to a stadium than a bar. The Portuguese and Brazilian communities are part of the larger Latin and Caribbean mix in South Florida. Around game time, the energy is loud and one-sided.
This is not tourist Palm Beach. People are drinking Sagres, arguing about formations, yelling at referees in Portuguese and English at the same time. The restaurants along Clematis and the blocks around it serve bacalhau, grilled octopus, pastéis de nata that come out warm with cinnamon. Specific places turn over with the seasons, so look up addresses before you go. The neighborhood itself is stable, walkable, alive after dark. Dinner at ten is how it works here. Some of the smaller spots still prefer cash.
What a tournament summer feels like here
For the team, a base camp is deliberately monotonous. Train, eat, sleep, do it again. For everyone around them it's different. Professional football is happening behind fences a few miles away, and all you get are the edges: security perimeters, satellite trucks, blacked-out SUVs leaving hotel garages before sunrise.
Palm Beach in late May is hot. The air sits on you. Most afternoons, rain comes in hard for twenty minutes, then clears and the pavement steams. The island keeps to itself, but West Palm and the northern beach towns absorb the rest: press corps, fans who flew in from Lisbon, the miscellaneous people who trail these events from city to city. If you go, just match the local rhythm. Coast in the morning, shade and coffee through midday, late dinners.
Practical notes
Gardens North County District Park: confirm the entrance address with Palm Beach County Parks before going. Free parking. Check training schedules and public hours with the county directly. Carlin Park (Jupiter Beach): confirm the address with the Town of Jupiter or Palm Beach County. Open dawn to dusk, metered parking. Worth Avenue: metered street parking and garages nearby. Clematis Street (West Palm): walkable, street parking available in the evening. Sunscreen, water, hat for anything outdoors. Late May averages mid-80s°F with high humidity and afternoon storms. Most places take cards; smaller cafés may not. Restrooms at park facilities. Accessibility varies by venue, so call ahead.
Tags: #PalmBeach #CristianoRonaldo #PortugalNationalTeam #TheOddEdit #JupiterBeach #WorthAvenue #WestPalmBeach #ClematisStreet #TournamentTravel #PalmBeachGardens #SummerSoccer #FloridaTravel #ExpatCuisine #PortugueseFood #May2026
Sources consulted: Portugal National Football Team · Cristiano Ronaldo · Town of Palm Beach · Palm Beach County Parks · FIFA Official Site
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