Germany opt for 'excellent' World Cup base in North Carolina's Winston-Salem

The pressure is on Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann heading into the World Cup
The pressure is on Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann heading into the World CupReuters / Lisi Niesner

Four-time world champions Germany will be based in North Carolina's Winston-Salem ‍during this year's FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States, the team said ​on Friday.

Germany, drawn in Group E with Ecuador, Curacao and Ivory Coast for the June 11th to July 19th tournament, will ‌be based at the Graylyn Estate Hotel in Winston-Salem ‌and use the grounds of nearby Wake Forest University to train when not on match duty, cutting down on travel time to and from training during the tournament.

"From the coach's and ⁠team's perspective, the most important thing is the proximity to the ‌pitches," Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said in a statement.

"We have ​three football pitches here in excellent condition that meet all our sporting requirements, and we can reach them on foot or by bike in less than 10 minutes."

The Germans will fly from Frankfurt to Chicago on June 2nd ‌to prepare for their final pre-tournament friendly against the United States on June 6th, before then flying on to Winston-Salem.

They play their opening World Cup match in Houston, ⁠Texas, on June 14th against Curacao. The Germans then travel to Toronto on June 20th to take on Ivory Coast before their last group game against Ecuador in New York on June 25th.

"Due to the vast distances in the USA, we already cover long distances, which we therefore try to avoid as much as possible in our daily training," Nagelsmann said.

"We've succeeded in doing that with this base camp. We've found fantastic conditions ⁠here, both on and off the pitch.”

The Germans have ‌openly set their goal of winning the World Cup following shock first-round exits in 2018 and 2022, to restore their dented reputation as a global football powerhouse.

They have not reached a final in any ⁠major international tournament since winning their fourth World ​Cup in 2014 in Brazil.

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