KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City region continues to draw in big names ahead of FIFA World Cup 26.
England announced Wednesday it has selected Kansas City for its base camp during the multi-week tournament this June and July.
The Three Lions’ quest to bring 𝐢𝐭 home begins in 𝐨𝐮𝐫 home 🤍
— FIFA World Cup 26 Kansas City (@FWC26KansasCity) February 11, 2026
England will make Kansas City their home base during the FIFA World Cup 2026™ 🏴#FIFAWorldCup #WeAre26 #WeAreKansasCity pic.twitter.com/f5elg2qwGP
The team will be based out of the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a press release about England's announcement Wednesday, saying, "Football is coming home to Kansas City."
"Once host to the Kansas City Chiefs of American football, England's practice ground in Swope Park has for generations launched clubs to the pinnacle of success and sits in the center of the diverse cultures and people of Kansas City," Lucas said. "Along with the club, Kansas City is thrilled to host thousands of fans from England to the welcoming Heart of America."
The British are coming! The British are coming! 🏴⚽ Kansas City will welcome the England National Team to Swope Soccer Village as their official base camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
— Mayor Quinton Lucas (@MayorLucasKC) February 11, 2026
Thank you to Copper Boyz Ranch for helping us share this exciting news! pic.twitter.com/ZKNdSK8DJw
Swope Soccer Village has most recently served as the home of Sporting KC II and SKC Academy. It had previously been the main training complex for Major League Soccer's Sporting KC.
Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid said the region's hundreds of millions of investment in its soccer infrastructure over the past 15 years has helped the region earn the nickname the "Soccer Capital of America."
England joins Argentina as the first two teams to select the Kansas City area for base camps. Last week, Argentina announced it would set up its base camp at Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas City, Kansas, home of Sporting KC.
"Having World Cup champions 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," Reid said Wednesday.
English media reported earlier this month that the team will stay at The Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village during their base camp stay.
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Unlike Argentina, which will play a World Cup match in Kansas City during the group stage, all of England’s matches during the group stage will be played outside of Kansas City.
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
The Kansas City region has two base camp locations that have yet to officially announce a country - the KC Current's practice facilities in Riverside and Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, though both appear poised to name a partner in the coming weeks.
This is a development story and will be updated.
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