Why Argentina chose Kansas City as World Cup base: “Dallas wasn't right” | OneFootball

The world champions will be based at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center, although they will make some modifications to it.

The start of the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, June 11, is getting closer and closer, and the Argentina National Team will defend the title it won in Qatar 2022. However, to do that, they first had to choose a base where the entire delegation would stay and from which it would travel to play its matches, initially in the group stage and then depending on its results.

In that regard, the AFA chose the Compass Minerals National Performance Center as the squad’s bunker for much of its stay in North America. The decision drew attention because it was determined that the site would be Kansas City, even though the world champions are only playing their first match there and will then play their remaining two matches in Dallas.

The truth is that Luis Martín, the fitness coach of the Argentina National Team, gave an interview on ClankJPV and revealed the details behind the decision. “Everything they were offering me in Dallas just didn’t work for me,” he said at first. Right after that, he added: “It was very difficult to find two training fields and places with an available gym nearby.”

Considering that the opening match against Algeria will be played at Arrowhead Stadium, it was considered as a second option. “We traveled to Kansas, which is an hour and a half away by plane. Since it was the first match, we said: ‘Well, let’s go there’,” admitted the member of Lionel Scaloni’s coaching staff during the conversation with Juan Pablo Varsky on the podcast he hosts on his channel.

A few seconds later, he detailed his search in U.S. cities and confessed: “I didn’t just go to Dallas because we had two matches there, but also because it’s a much bigger city than Kansas.” Along the same lines, the Profe continued: “I thought I’d have an easier time finding places to train.”

That was when he said: “We went and found the Kansas City Training Center (MLS).” He also added an interesting detail, saying: “The United States National Team is also going there for its preparation.” Finally, laughing, the fitness coach also revealed: “Then came the challenge of looking for hotels. We’ve seen everything, even places with drawings on the walls, haha.”

Near the end of his remarks, Luis Martín revealed what changes they will make to the elite complex. “We’re going to set up another gym in the parking lot, in addition to the one we have at the training center,” he said as an extra for the players. Then he added: “Also a tent for family visits.” In the end, he concluded: “We’re going to be very comfortable there.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.