England will play World Cup warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida and base themselves in Kansas City for the duration of the tournament.
Thomas Tuchel and his squad will fly to Florida at the start of June and take on New Zealand on 6 June and Costa Rica four days later. They will then transfer to the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, having identified the city as their preferred location in January 2025.
Tuchel could have players in the Champions League final which takes place in Budapest on 30 May and he wants to get over to the US quickly after that to begin acclimatising. England do not play their opening group game until 17 June against Croatia in Arlington, Texas. Their next matches are against Ghana in Foxborough near Boston on 23 June and Panama in New Jersey on 27 June.
The squad will travel to each location from their Kansas City base and return after each game. The Football Association was sold on the location in the centre of the US, which mitigates travel distances, and on the Swope Soccer Village itself. It is one of Sporting Kansas City’s training facilities and the home of the MLS club’s academy teams. The complex, in Kansas City’s Swope Park, opened in 2007 and has hosted national and club sides. Manchester United and Manchester City have stayed there.
New Zealand, ranked 85 in the world, have qualified for the World Cup for the third time and the first time since 2010. They are captained by the Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood. Costa Rica, ranked 51, have not qualified for the finals. England have friendlies at Wembley against Uruguay and Japan on 27 March and 31 March respectively.
