2026 World Cup: England and coach Tuchel step up plans in the US ahead of FIFA tournament
The start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is drawing closer. With less than five months until the tournament gets underway, the teams that have already qualified are making key preparations for the event. Among them, Thomas Tuchel’s England have taken an important step tied to a major logistical decision.
“England are set to be based at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City for this year’s World Cup campaign,” BBC Sport reported on Saturday. “The Football Association has submitted a request to stay in the Missouri city, with the state-of-the-art Swope facility nominated as their first-choice daily training base.”
England are not the first team to move forward with plans for their World Cup base. Other national teams such as Germany and Brazil have also made progress in that area, although all of those decisions still require final approval.
“World governing body FIFA is not likely to rubber-stamp the location of each nation’s training facilities until the start of February,” the report adds. “While FIFA is still to officially confirm each nation’s chosen base, it is understood England are very likely to be allocated their preferred location.”
England’s path at the 2026 World Cup
Selecting a base for lodging and training is a key step for every national team. It requires careful consideration not only of the facilities themselves, but also of the distances to the host cities where matches will be played.
In that regard, the Three Lions do not appear overly concerned about travel demands. “Head coach Thomas Tuchel’s team will travel to each location from their Kansas City base and then return after each game,” BBC Sport reports.
England will compete in Group L at the World Cup. They will open their campaign on June 17 against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, a trip of roughly 560 miles and about a 90-minute flight from Kansas City. Their second match will come on June 23 against Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, approximately 1,400 miles away and close to a three-hour flight. Similar travel demands will apply for their third group-stage match, against Panama on June 27 in New Jersey.
“It remains to be seen whether England decide to remain in Missouri should they make it through the group stage,” the report adds. “They have explored the option of ‘following the games’ during the knockout stages, meaning they would set up a temporary base in the vicinity of where their elimination games are played.”
For now, England’s most immediate plans include two friendlies during the March FIFA international window. The first will be against Uruguay on March 27, followed by a match against Japan four days later. Then, as the World Cup approaches, England will base themselves in Florida for two warm-up matches before settling permanently in Kansas City.