Report: Germany take important step in the US ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup
In less than five months, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will officially kick off in the United States, Mexico and Canada. That reality has prompted national teams that have already secured qualification to accelerate their preparations, including Germany.
“The German national team will base their Team Base Camp for the 2026 World Cup in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,” reporter Florian Plettenberg recently stated on his official X account. “Julian Nagelsmann’s team will stay at The Graylyn Estate and train at the nearby campus of Wake Forest University, just a few minutes away.”
Choosing where to base the squad, as well as selecting the training facilities to be used during the tournament, is far from a minor decision. National teams typically place heavy emphasis on the quality of the facilities and the geographic location when making these calls.
That second factor will be especially important at the upcoming World Cup, given the vast distances between host cities spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada. This represents a sharp contrast with the previous FIFA tournament in 2022, when all matches were played in a single city, Doha.
Germany’s path at the 2026 World Cup
Germany have been drawn into Group E alongside Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador. From a sporting perspective, the group features a clear favorite in Julian Nagelsmann’s side, as well as a noticeably weaker team in Curacao. With up to three teams from each group able to advance to the knockout stage, Germany’s chances of progressing are considered very high.
The four-time World Cup champions will play their opening match on June 14 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, against Curacao. That will require a trip of roughly 1,000 miles from the team’s base in North Carolina.
For the following two matches, however, the travel demands will be significantly reduced. Germany’s second group-stage game will come against Ivory Coast on June 20 at BMO Field in Toronto, approximately 700 miles from Winston-Salem. The group finale against Ecuador, scheduled for June 25 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, will involve a journey of just about 500 miles.
Germany look to end World Cup struggles
Despite being the second-most successful national team in World Cup history behind Brazil, and level with Italy on four titles, Germany have endured a particularly disappointing run in recent tournaments. After defeating Argentina in the final of Brazil 2014, the European powerhouse suffered consecutive group-stage eliminations.
At Russia 2018, Germany were knocked out after finishing last in a group that included South Korea, Mexico and Sweden. The story repeated itself at Qatar 2022, where they failed to advance from a group featuring Spain, Costa Rica and Japan. Now, under head coach Julian Nagelsmann and with a refreshed squad, Germany will look to reestablish themselves among the world’s elite.