Argentina, England, Algeria and Netherlands set up World Cup bases in Kansas City | OneFootball

Argentina, England, Algeria and the Netherlands have based themselves around Kansas City for the World Cup.

According to L'Équipe, teams were drawn by the central location, high-quality facilities and a quieter feel, with 18 delegations scouting the area beforehand.

Algeria chose Lawrence, 60 km west, a city of 100,000. Locals packed the team hotel, painted street furniture in green and white and watched matches together on a giant screen.

Training is calmer at the University of Kansas stadium, home to James Naismith’s 13 rules. On the eve of facing Austria, defender Jaouen Hadjam said they kept to themselves, watched matches, played games and worked hard. They later advanced from the first round.

World champions Argentina are at Sporting Kansas City’s ultra-modern base, where access is tight and the 15-minute media window means off-site parking, checks and an escorted bus. Locals are unlikely to bump into Messi.

England are at Swope Soccer Village, formerly Sporting’s reserve base. Argentina and the Netherlands had priority after a group match at Arrowhead. Thomas Tuchel handled media, and Noni Madueke mentioned darts, team games and staying indoors in the heat.

Kansas City straddles Missouri and Kansas, split by State Line Road. Argentina train in Kansas and sleep in Missouri, England the reverse. Laws differ, marijuana is only legal on the Missouri side.

The Netherlands set up in Riverside at KC Current’s base, where signs hailed 2010 runners-up, 2014 third place and ‘2026, this is your year’. Not quite, and they have now moved on.

Source: L'Équipe