England fans think KC’s World Cup facilities are not good enough for their team
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- England initially sought Sporting KC’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center.
- Argentina chose Compass Minerals because they were defending champions and higher ranked.
- Several England fans criticized Swope Soccer Village as an inadequate training site.
England’s national soccer team was blown away when it first visited Sporting Kansas City’s training site a year ago, and the “Three Lions” hoped to make its base camp there.
Unfortunately, Argentina also loved the Compass Minerals National Performance Center. FIFA gave Argentina first choice, because they are the defending World Cup champions and a few spots higher in the world rankings than England.
Rather than leave this area, England then decided to train at Swope Soccer Village.
“We thought for sure they’re gonna have first pick, might have first pick, didn’t end up having that, and they wanted to stay engaged,” Sporting Kansas City CEO and president Jake Reid said of England. “They loved the city, they loved us, just from kind of relationship and what we could bring to the table for them in terms of their time here.
“And so they approached us and said, ‘Hey, is Swope an option?’ And you know, we’ve got some challenges we can talk through from our team, but it was a no-brainer to get them here.”
The BBC’s Will Grant recently toured the training sites for Argentina and England, and that may have been the impetus for fan angst back in the U.K.
Some English fans don’t believe the Swope facilities are good enough for the team.
“Seems a really basic facility,” a fan wrote on X. “The MLS side, Sporting KC’s first team don’t train there anymore as they have an upgraded facility that Argentina nabbed (I think due to them having a game there).
“It’s just some pitches and a small gym. Hey maybe that’s all you need with a tight group.
“In the era of sports science, recovery and all that you’d have thought they would have maybe moved to a secondary option. Loads of other markets in the Midwest with top class pro facilities like Chicago or Cincinnati.”
Another wrote: “Yep England’s facility is pretty mid compared to most of the other countries. But it’s still got everything the players need so hopefully all goes well and it doesn’t matter.”
Another post on The Three Lions Reddit page from a couple of months ago also rankled fans. This one was based on Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas sharing a look at the Swope facilities and the team’s hotel in Prairie Village.
“Am I the only one that thinks the facilities and hotel at completely inadequate for a team serious about winning the World Cup?” a fan asked.
“The hotel is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood and the training facility is Sporting KC reserves’. I’d have thought with how much money colleges spend on sports they could have found somewhere better.”
Another wrote: “There is no privacy in that pitch. Couldn’t we choose a better pitch?”
One England fan agreed with others on the facilities, but saw a potential silver lining.
“I mean, we’ve had top quality accommodation and facilities before and wimped out of tournaments,” the fan wrote. “Might even be good for team spirit.”
This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 10:02 AM.
