England scout for World Cup camps amid fears of losing preferred base to Netherlands
Published: 10 December 2025, 4:47:59
The Football Association has sent operational staff to the US this week to scout for World Cup training camps amid concerns that England may lose their preferred site to the Netherlands.
Thomas Tuchel had cleared an FA plan for England to be based in Kansas after a pre-tournament training camp in Fort Lauderdale, but after last week’s draw there are concerns that the Netherlands will be allocated their chosen facility at Sporting Kansas City, a high-performance centre used by US Soccer.
The Netherlands play their group games in Kansas and two cities in Texas – Houston and Arlington – so will be given first refusal by Fifa on the grounds of geographical proximity should, as the FA expects, they opt for Sporting KC. England’s group fixtures will take place in Dallas, Boston and New Jersey.
Fifa allocates training camps based on geography and world rankings if there is competition, with the draw potentially pitting the FA against the Netherlands and Argentina for bases in the tournament’s south-central region. Argentina’s group games are in Kansas and Arlington. The FA is understood to be exploring alternatives on the east coast.
The FA began searching for training camps at the start of the year, with Tuchel and the technical director, John McDermott, visiting potential sites during the Club World Cup last summer, but despite this planning there was an acceptance that the draw could alter their plans.
England have the eighth most arduous group stage draw in terms of travel. Winning Group L would put England on course for a last-32 game in Atlanta, then a potential last-16 tie in Mexico City. The FA may opt to travel from match to match for the knockout stages should England qualify, in a significant departure from its usual practice. Fifa is believed to be encouraging such an approach.
