England? Germany? Soccer powerhouses have visited Lawrence ahead of World Cup draw
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- Four national teams have inspected Lawrence facilities as potential 2026 base camps
- Teams will submit final base camp choices after Dec. 5 draw and geographic zoning
- Lawrence promotes privacy, central access, KU facilities and nearby Oread hotel
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw just days away, The Star has learned that at least four countries are considering setting up base camp in Lawrence.
Those four countries are England, Germany, Colombia and South Korea. All four countries have visited and explored Rock Chalk Park and the University of Kansas facilities as a potential base camp site. The most recent country to visit Lawrence was South Korea, which visited in early November.
Along with visiting Lawrence, these countries are among those that have explored the two potential Kansas City base-camp sites: Compass Minerals Sporting Fields and the KC Women’s Soccer Training Complex, the training facilities for Sporting KC and the Kansas City Current.
The World Cup draw is set for Dec. 5 with matches, venues and kickoff times announced the next day. Teams will submit their final selections for base camps after that date, and the draw will reveal the geographic zones in which teams will play their group-stage games, guiding their decisions for base-camp selection along with their FIFA ranking.
The selection of base-camps sites is expected to happen in the weeks after the draw. Some 62 sites are candidates for base camps, including nearby cities like St. Louis and Oklahoma City.
The Star previously reported that there’s a high level of interest in Kansas City from the England national team.
Days out from the draw, there’s no guarantee that the Lawrence or KC sites will be chosen as base camps, or that any of the four countries choose the nearby locations as their residence.
But there is optimism from those involved in the efforts that Lawrence will end up being chosen as a base camp.
Why? It’s centrally located, which will allow teams and fans easier travel to games, which will take place at 16 sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Since Lawrence is a college town, there’s a level of privacy and seclusion that many big cities won’t offer. If needed, there are a number of interpreters available through the University of Kansas. Plus, the Rock Chalk Park facility has impressed FIFA officials in the past.
Finally, there’s a nearby hotel that FIFA believes is the best for potential teams: The Oread. It was highlighted in the online base-camp brochure.
The hotel is less than 10 minutes away from Rock Chalk Park. For some potential base-camp sites, the hotels are much further away from training facilities.
A popular topic of discussion among countries scouting ahead is what players can do on off days in Lawrence. KU Athletics has worked closely with Explore Lawrence to highlight different parts of the college town, such as Allen Fieldhouse.
There’s even been discussions about adding a video-game station in the University of Kansas Conference Center that the team residing in Lawrence can use.
This story was originally published December 1, 2025 at 10:48 AM.
