England Scout for World Cup Camps Amid Fears of Losing First-Choice Base to the Dutch.
England's football governing body has dispatched scouts to the US this week to look at potential training camps for the upcoming global finals, amidst increasing concerns that their top-pick base could be taken by the Netherlands.
Tournament Draw Complications Change Preparations
Head coach Thomas Tuchel had earlier approved an FA plan for England to locate in Kansas after a warm-up training period in Fort Lauderdale. However, after last week's group stage draw, there are now concerns that the Netherlands, who have their group stage matches in Kansas, will be given first choice on the desired facility at Sporting Kansas City—a high-performance centre used by US Soccer.
FIFA allocates training bases based on geography and world rankings if there is competition, with the draw potentially pitting the FA against the Netherlands and Argentina for sites in the tournament's south-central region.
Exploring Other Options
Given England's group fixtures set to take place in Dallas, Boston, and New Jersey, the FA is now understood to be investigating other locations on the US East Coast. The association began its search for training bases at the start of the year, with Tuchel and director of football John McDermott visiting possible sites during the Club World Cup last summer.
Despite this early preparation, there was always an understanding that the final tournament draw could drastically change their plans.
Later Round Travel Plans
The Three Lions face the eighth most demanding group stage schedule in terms of travel distance. Topping Group L would put England on course for a round of 32 game in Atlanta, then a potential last-16 tie in Mexico City.
- Major Departure: The FA may decide to move between venues for the later rounds should England qualify, a significant shift from its standard practice of having a fixed tournament base.
- FIFA Encouragement: FIFA is understood to be recommending such a flexible approach for the expansive 2026 tournament.
After the training base is confirmed, the FA will turn its attention to organizing two pre-tournament matches in Florida at the beginning of June.
