The German one National football team will be based in the US state of North Carolina during the group phase of the upcoming World Cup. The team is staying at the exclusive hotel The Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem. The training sessions will take place on the grounds of the renowned Wake Forest University, which is just a few minutes from the hotel.
National coach Julian Nagelsmann said about the location: “We find great conditions here, both on the pitch and outside the green lawn.” For the national coach, the proximity to the training grounds is particularly important.
There are three pitches available at the W. Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium, all in “very, very good condition,” said Nagelsmann. The team can reach them on foot or by bike in less than ten minutes – an important factor given the long distances to the match venues. DFB managing director Andreas Rettig spoke of an “ideal team quarters” that offered “the best possible conditions for a successful tournament”.
The choice of tournament venue was always of great importance
The city of Winston-Salem, with a population of around 250,000, was once the site of the world’s largest cigarette factory. The place is known in terms of sport for the annual ATP tennis tournament, which serves as a dress rehearsal for the US Open. Basketball star Tim Duncan also played for Wake Forest University before his NBA career. The luxurious team hotel in neo-Norman style offers 85 rooms in five buildings and a 24-hour butler service.
The choice of tournament venue played a role DFB played an important role in the past. After the 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil, the purpose-built complex in Campo Bahia was celebrated as a key success factor. In contrast, the accommodations in Watutinki near Moscow in 2018 and in the Qatar desert in 2022 received significant criticism after their early elimination in the group phase.
The DFB team flies to the venues the day before the group games
The German World Cup squad will fly from Germany to Chicago on June 2nd. The final test match before the World Cup against co-host USA will take place in the Soldier Field stadium there on June 6th (8:30 p.m./CEST). On June 8th, the DFB team will move to Winston-Salem and prepare for the World Cup tournament there.
During the tournament, the national team will then fly to their venues the day before the group games. The opening game in Houston against Curaçao is on June 14th (7 p.m./CEST). The German national soccer team will play against Ivory Coast in Toronto, Canada on June 20th (10 p.m./CEST). The final group game will take place on June 25th (10 p.m./CEST) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. The opponent is then Ecuador.
