England will aim to end 60 years of hurt at this summer’s North American World Cup – and do it from one main base, manager Thomas Tuchel explains decision
England manager Thomas Tuchel spoke about his team’s plans for this summer’s World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel has decided to remain in Kansas City until the World Cup, admitting there is “no place like home”.
Tuchel has consulted with players who would like to stay in one base and fly to and from games this summer, rather than traveling for the duration of the tournament.
And these home comforts remind us of the famous line from the movie The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy wakes up from a bad dream and finds herself back in Kansas.
Another famous line Dorothy wrote to her dog was, “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Well, the England players had better get used to Kansas City.
England considered different locations and different team bases, but stuck with their original good plan of staying at the £200-a-night Inn at Meadowbrook in the Missouri suburb of Kansas City.
read more: Ben White still has one big hurdle to overcome before England’s full redemptionread more: Trent Alexander-Arnold deletes cryptic message after being disrespected by England and banned by Real Madrid
They will practice at nearby Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, but the players prefer having one base, so they will fly in and out, doubling the amount of flying. Kansas is a state in the United States, and Kansas City is divided between Kansas and Missouri.
The soccer association is already planning to build a basketball court to entertain the players, but the hotel doesn’t have a full-sized pool, so it’s looking for a nearby facility.
England’s group games are played in Dallas, Boston and New Jersey, and although they have always traveled there, they will now have to commute to the finals.
The Inn at Meadowbrook in suburban Missouri, where Thomas Tuchel’s England team will be staying for the World Cup (Image: The Inn at Meadowbrook)
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on our Mirror Football Facebook page
Tuchel said he wanted his players to get a good night’s sleep in a small, “intimate” hotel rather than take part in a non-stop road show.
Three Lions boss Tuchel also said that although there will be a pre-tournament preparation camp in Florida, a late start with the opening game between England and Croatia on June 17 means the players are less likely to get bored.
Asked if he wanted to stay in Kansas forever, Tuchel said: “I’m trying to do that, because basically it was a choice: to have a home, to have a home base, to have a comfortable bed, to have a bed with a good mattress, to have privacy, to have a hotel, a small hotel.”
England’s players wanted a small, intimate hotel as their World Cup base (Image: The Inn at Meadowbrook)
“In a hotel with 400, 500, 800 beds, you probably just meet in the elevator or on the floor between breakfast and meetings, and the air conditioning is on and you can’t open the windows.
“There are a lot of hotels like this in America, but I think that’s the difference. So we chose a hotel where you could open the windows. And we chose a hotel that was intimate and in a small location. Once you get used to the location, I think it makes sense to come back.”
“We’re getting feedback from the players that they like the slow start and then they like the condensed content. So if you watch it for a long time, hopefully throughout the tournament and not just the players, there’s no chance you’ll get bored.”
“We felt like one more day would have been pretty helpful, so yeah, these were decisions that had to be made. The headline will probably be, ‘We try to stay in Kansas as often as possible.'”
England squad will train at nearby Swope Soccer Village as they aim to end 60 years of hurt (Image: Getty Images for USSF)
England are one of the top four seeds and could face Mexico in Mexico City and Brazil in the quarter-finals if they win in the group stage.
Weather will be a challenge during the Club World Cup, with storms regularly causing match and flight delays, but Tuchel said the 48-team tournament – which will include a finals tournament for the first time – will be the toughest yet.
Tuchel added: “I’ve spent a lot of time recently looking at the schedule and trying to get the schedule right for the World Cup. And hopefully, as time goes on, it’s going to get tougher. And it’s going to be very condensed.”
“And there will be a lot of flights. And there will be a lot of time spent at the airport. And there will be a lot of time together. And we have to get our chemistry right, and this is the most important thing.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
England’s 2026 World Cup kit
Various prices
england official store
Buy now from England’s official store
England and Nike have launched new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Use code: ENGFREEDEL to get free shipping on all orders.
