England Scout for World Cup Bases Amidst Fears of Losing Preferred Location to the Dutch.
England's football governing body has sent officials to the US this week to evaluate potential training camps for the upcoming tournament, amidst growing concerns that their top-pick location could be allocated by the Holland.
Tournament Draw Complexities Alter Preparations
Head coach Thomas Tuchel had previously cleared an FA strategy for England to be based in Kansas following a pre-tournament training period in Fort Lauderdale. However, following last week's group stage draw, there are now concerns that the Netherlands, who have their group stage matches in Kansas, will be awarded first choice on the desired facility at Sporting Kansas City—a high-performance centre operated by US Soccer.
The world governing body allocates training camps according to geography and world rankings if there is a dispute, with the draw potentially placing the FA against the Netherlands and Argentina for bases in the tournament's south-central region.
Exploring Other Options
With England's group stage matches set to take place in Dallas, Boston, and New Jersey, the FA is now reportedly investigating alternative locations on the US East Coast. The FA began its scouting process for training bases at the beginning of the year, with Tuchel and technical director John McDermott touring potential locations during the Club World Cup last summer.
Despite this early preparation, there was always an acceptance that the official tournament draw could significantly alter their plans.
Later Round Logistics Plans
England have the eighth most demanding group stage schedule in terms of travel distance. Winning Group L would put England on course for a last-32 game in Atlanta, then a potential last-16 match in Mexico City.
- Significant Departure: The FA may opt to choose to travel from match to match for the knockout stages if England qualify, a major shift from its usual practice of having a fixed tournament base.
- Tournament Organizers Encouragement: FIFA is understood to be recommending such a flexible strategy for the vast 2026 tournament.
After the base camp is confirmed, the FA will turn its attention to scheduling two warm-up matches in Florida at the beginning of June.
