The Football Association has sent operational staff to the US this week to scout for World Cup training camps amid concerns that England may lose their preferred site to the Netherlands.
Thomas Tuchel had cleared an FA plan for England to be based in Kansas after a pre-tournament training camp in Fort Lauderdale, but after the draw last week there are concerns that the Netherlands will be allocated their chosen facility at Sporting Kansas City, a high-performance centre used by US Soccer.
The Netherlands play their group fixtures in Kansas City and two cities in Texas – Houston and Dallas – so will be given first refusal by Fifa on the grounds of geographical proximity should, as the FA expects, they opt for Sporting KC. England’s group games will take place in Dallas, Boston and New Jersey.
Fifa allocates training camps based on geography and world rankings if there is competition, with the draw potentially pitting the FA against the Netherlands and Argentina for bases in the tournament’s south‑central region. Argentina’s group games are in Kansas City and Dallas. The FA is understood to be exploring alternatives on the east coast.
The FA began searching for training camps at the start of the year, with Tuchel and the technical director, John McDermott, visiting potential sites during the Club World Cup last summer, but despite this planning there was an acceptance that the draw could alter their plans.
England will step up their preparations for the World Cup with March friendlies at Wembley against Uruguay and Japan. The South American side will visit on 27 March and Japan four days later.
The double-header will be the last time Thomas Tuchel's side play on home soil before the World Cup in North America. The opposition represent a step up in quality after England breezed through qualification with a 100% record. Uruguay are ranked 16th and Japan 18th and both are going to the World Cup.
The games will be England's last before Tuchel confirms his squad for the finals in May. England are expected to play two friendlies in the United States before heading into camp.
Tuchel said: "We wanted to play two teams ranked in the top 20 in the world, but also to test ourselves against opponents from outside of Europe."
England will play Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L at the World Cup. PA Media
England have the eighth most arduous group stage draw in terms of travel. Winning Group L would put England on course for a last-32 game in Atlanta, then a potential last-16 tie in Mexico City. The FA may opt to travel from match to match for the knockout stages should England qualify, in a significant departure from its usual practice. Fifa is believed to be encouraging such an approach.
After confirming the base camp, the FA will turn its attention to arranging two warm-up matches in Florida at the start of June.
