Operational staff from the Football Association are currently in the United States, urgently assessing potential training camp locations for the 2026 World Cup. This follows the tournament draw, which has thrown initial plans into doubt and increased competition for preferred facilities.
The original strategy, approved by manager Thomas Tuchel, involved a pre-tournament camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, followed by a move to a high-performance centre in Kansas for the duration of the group stage. However, with the Netherlands drawn to play their group matches in Kansas and parts of Texas, they are now favoured by tournament organisers to secure that specific facility, which is also used by US Soccer.
With England’s group games scheduled for Dallas, Boston, and New Jersey, the focus has shifted. Under allocation rules that prioritise geographical proximity and world ranking, the FA is now actively exploring alternative base camp options on the country’s east coast to minimise travel for their opening matches.
The search for suitable training bases began early this year, with Tuchel and technical staff visiting sites last summer. Despite this advanced planning, officials acknowledged that the final draw would ultimately dictate their logistical strategy. England’s group stage travel is considered among the more challenging in the tournament.
Should the team progress from the group, there is a significant shift in strategy being considered. Rather than returning to a single base camp between matches, the FA may adopt a travel-from-venue-to-venue approach for the knockout rounds, a departure from their usual protocol. This mobile strategy is reportedly being encouraged by world football’s governing body.
Once a training base is secured, attention will turn to finalising the team’s pre-tournament schedule, which is expected to include two warm-up matches in Florida in early June.