Sporting Kansas City announced today that Swope Soccer Village will serve as a Team Base Camp Training Site during FIFA World Cup 2026™ for England.
“Over the past 15 years this region has invested more than $650 million in soccer infrastructure, and that level of commitment is exactly why Kansas City has earned its reputation as the Soccer Capital of America,” Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid said. “Having World Cup champions in Argentina and England choose Sporting Kansas City training facilities as their base camp for FIFA World Cup 2026 is a tremendous honor that reinforces that Kansas City is not only at the heart of the game in this country but also a premier destination for elite international soccer.”
Each team participating in FIFA World Cup 2026™ selects a Team Base Camp Training Site where the team’s delegation will be headquartered to prepare for matches, including practice sessions, player workouts, team meetings and staff operations. This “home away from home” is designed to provide a hub where teams will arrive ahead of their first match and will be available for those teams to return to between matches.
England’s Schedule for FIFA World Cup 2026™
June 17: England vs. Croatia at Dallas Stadium
June 23: England vs. Ghana at Boston Stadium
June 27: Panama vs. England at New York New Jersey Stadium
Winners of the 1966 FIFA World Cup on home soil, England are currently No. 4 in the FIFA rankings and are captained by Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane who led the Three Lions to runner-up finishes at the 2020 and 2024 editions of the UEFA European Championship. In 2025, Thomas Tuchel became head coach – having previously won the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea as well as league titles with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain – and Tuchel led England to a perfect 8-0-0 record in World Cup qualifying, outscoring opponents 22-0 to become the first European team in history to not concede a single goal during qualification.
“England will be based in Kansas City, Missouri for the duration of the tournament,” the English Football Association announced today. “Swope Soccer Village will be the Three Lions’ training base with Kansas City identified as the preferred location in January 2025 following an extensive search.”
Swope Soccer Village was the primary training facility for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer from 2007-2017 and currently serves as the home of Sporting Kansas City II (MLS NEXT Pro) and the Sporting Kansas City Academy (MLS NEXT). The complex opened in 2007 and was expanded from 2013-14 to now feature three natural grass fields and six synthetic turf fields in addition to a 7,000-square-foot indoor space with locker rooms, offices, gym, training room, equipment room and classroom.
Located in the heart of Kansas City’s historic Swope Park – where soccer has been played for more than 100 years – the ground Swope Soccer Village was built on was once home to Kansas City Chiefs (1963-1972) and Kansas City Wizards (1998-2000) practices. In the past two decades, Swope Soccer Village has served as a training site for national teams from the United States, Mexico, Canada and Uruguay as well as MLS and NWSL teams along with club teams from across the world (Manchester City, Manchester United, Stoke City, Newcastle United, Montpellier, AS Roma, CD Guadalajara, Club America and Deportivo Toluca). The $20+ million facility has hosted professional matches for the National Women’s Soccer League (first division), USL Championship (second division) and MLS NEXT Pro (third division) in addition to attracting championship-level events to the region at the collegiate and youth levels.
