Scotland's World Cup campaign will be headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with their group consisting of Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil. The team's assistant coach Steven Naismith emphasized that travel and humidity were key factors in selecting the Charlotte base. The base was chosen with assistance from connections including former players and coaches like Dean Smith, Gary Dicker, and Tommy Smith.
Scotland will open their World Cup schedule against Haiti on June 14, 2026, at 02:00 BST. The team is grappling with a goalkeeper crisis ahead of the tournament, with Craig Gordon injured and other options lacking regular playing time. In preparation, Scotland has arranged a series of friendlies, including a match against Bolivia on June 6, 2026, in New Jersey as a final warm-up.
We've got two games in Boston, one in Miami, but there's only a limited amount of facilities around Boston. That was probably the biggest challenge. We've done a lot of work seeing a lot of training bases - there's a lot on offer - but we're delighted with Charlotte.
Earlier in March 2026, Scotland played friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast, losing both 1-0. Another friendly against Curacao is set for May 30, 2026, at Hampden Park. Head coach Steve Clarke is known for loyalty to his squad but has said there is always room for an outsider.
England will base themselves in Kansas City for the duration of the World Cup. Their group includes Croatia, Ghana, and Panama, with their opening match against Croatia scheduled for June 17, 2026, in Dallas. England's warm-up plans include friendlies against New Zealand on June 6, 2026, in Tampa Bay and against Costa Rica on June 10, 2026, in Orlando.
It's a travelling World Cup.
In late 2025, England played friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, drawing 1-1 with Uruguay and losing 1-0 to Japan. England and Scotland are the only teams from the UK and Ireland to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Scotland faces tactical and logistical challenges, including adapting to heat and humidity during matches.
Scotland played a friendly against Japan on March 21, 2026, at Hampden Park, with Scotland as underdogs in betting odds.