The Three Lions Search for World Cup Bases Amidst Fears of Missing Out On First-Choice Location to Holland.
The Football Association has dispatched scouts to the US this week to look at potential training camps for the forthcoming global finals, amidst growing concerns that their preferred base could be taken by the Holland.
Tournament Draw Complications Change Plans
Head coach Thomas Tuchel had previously approved an FA plan for England to set up camp in Kansas following a warm-up training period in Fort Lauderdale. Yet, following last week's tournament draw, there are now fears that the Netherlands, who have their group games in Kansas, will be awarded first choice on the desired facility at Sporting Kansas City—a high-performance centre operated by US Soccer.
FIFA allocates training camps according to geography and FIFA rankings if there is a dispute, with the draw potentially placing the FA against the Netherlands and Argentina for bases in the tournament's central region.
Exploring Other Options
Given England's group stage matches scheduled to take place in Dallas, Boston, and New Jersey, the FA is now reportedly investigating alternative locations on the east coast. The association started its scouting process for training bases at the beginning of the year, with Tuchel and technical director John McDermott visiting possible sites during the Club World Cup last summer.
In spite of this early preparation, there was always an acceptance that the final tournament draw could significantly alter their plans.
Knockout Stage Logistics Plans
The Three Lions have the eighth most demanding group stage schedule in terms of travel distance. Topping Group L would put England on track for a round of 32 game in Atlanta, then a possible round of 16 tie in Mexico City.
- Significant Change: The FA may decide to travel from match to match for the later rounds should England progress, a major departure from its standard practice of having a single tournament base.
- FIFA Encouragement: FIFA is understood to be actively encouraging such a itinerant strategy for the vast 2026 tournament.
Once the training base is confirmed, the FA will focus on scheduling two pre-tournament matches in Florida at the start of June.
