ZEIST (DA) — The Netherlands will use Kansas City as its Team Base Camp for the group stage of next summer’s FIFA World Cup, with daily training set at the KC Current Training Facility.
The base is tied to the Dutch team’s group-stage schedule, with one match in Kansas City and the other two in Dallas and Houston, both within a two-hour flight from the area.
The KC Current Training Facility includes two fields and an indoor gym, and the entire complex will be exclusively available to head coach Ronald Koeman’s squad during its stay.
Koeman said climate was the first factor in the search, followed by training and living conditions, including the quality of the fields and facilities, location, and travel distances. “I also visited the location myself and for the region where we play during the group stage, Kansas City is the best choice,” Koeman said. “The location is also favorable. All of this contributes to being able to focus fully on football.”
Marianne van Leeuwen, director of professional football, said the team aims to be supported “in every possible way” for each major tournament, a process that includes evaluating multiple locations on sporting, logistical and organizational criteria. “The choice for the base camp in Kansas City fits that aim: a professionally arranged environment that enables the team to prepare for the matches as optimally as possible,” van Leeuwen said.
Kansas City sits in the heart of the United States on the state line of Kansas and Missouri, and the material described it as a sports-driven city where soccer is rapidly growing in popularity.
Kansas City Current co-owners Angie and Chris Long called it “a great privilege” to welcome the Netherlands, describing the opportunity as confirmation that the infrastructure in place can support elite players.
Pam Kramer, CEO of Kansas City 2026, called it an ideal environment and said the University of Kansas training complex aligns closely with what a top team needs, describing it as modern and designed to support high-performance preparation.
The Netherlands were drawn into Group F on Dec. 5 in Washington with Japan, Tunisia and the winner of a playoff involving Albania, Sweden, Ukraine and Poland.
The Dutch open the tournament June 14 in Dallas against Japan. They play the playoff winner June 20 in Houston, then close the group stage June 25 against Tunisia at Kansas City Stadium.
The program leading into and during the World Cup, along with the team’s accommodations in Kansas City, will be announced at a later date.