England plans a circuitous route to its Kansas City World Cup base camp
With the 2026 World Cup expanding to 48 teams, there will be some notable changes to the schedule of matches.
Where there had been three start times for games each day in past World Cups, there often will be four matches a day. And there are 12 groups, which means some nations will wait nearly a week to play their first game.
Such is the case for England.
The tournament begins with Mexico facing South Africa on June 11, but England won’t play its first group-stage match until June 17.
According to a story in The Guardian, that caused problems for England coach Thomas Tuchel.
England will have a base camp in Kansas City at Swope Soccer Village in Swope Park. But before coming to Kansas City, the “Three Lions” team will be in Florida, the Guardian reported.
“Tuchel is understood to have requested friendlies near England’s pre-tournament training camp in Florida on 6 and 10 June – the night before the World Cup starts – and finding high-caliber opponents for the latter date is proving particularly challenging,” the Guardian’s Matt Hughes wrote.
He added: “FIFA regulations prevent participants from playing friendlies in the final five days before their first game of the tournament. That means only teams playing on 16 and 17 June – who will include two qualifiers from March’s intercontinental playoffs – could face England on 10 June.”
England, which will travel to the United States on June 1, had to settle for matches against New Zealand on June 6, at a location in south Florida. Then England will take on Costa Rica on June 10 in the Sunshine State.
The team is expected to stay at The Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village starting on June 10 and begin training at Swope Park the next day.
