soccer

Scotland choose Charlotte as base for World Cup

Scotland will set up camp at the home of Charlotte FC for the duration of the World Cup, the Scottish FA has announced.

National team head coach Steve Clarke visited facilities in America after December's draw - which pitted Scotland against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in the group stage.

The Scottish FA has now settled on working from MLS side Charlotte FC's state-of-the-art training facility, with the squad staying nearby.

The Atrium Health Performance Park in East Charlotte opened in 2023 and is home to Charlotte's first team, NextGen and Academy sides.

The 52,000-square-foot facility has eight pitches and all that Scotland will need as they prepare for their return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

Scotland face Haiti in Boston in their group stage opener on Sunday, 14 June (02:00 BST) in Boston.

They will then take on Morocco on Friday, 19 June (23:00) in Boston again, before finishing against five-time winners Brazil in Miami on Wednesday, 24 June (23:00).

The team will fly to and from the host cities from their North Carolina base for each game.

'This will give us the best possible conditions'

Clarke welcomed the decision, saying: "We looked at the Fifa-nominated options - against our own predetermined criteria - and Charlotte FC have a top MLS training facility, with everything we need to prepare for our matches.

"I'd like to add that Charlotte FC's staff could not have been more welcoming.

"As most competing nations have discovered, travel will be an important factor in this World Cup. Our base in Charlotte will be convenient for the airport, with flights of around two hours to Boston and Miami for our group stage matches.

"We are hopeful that this will give us the best possible conditions to get ready for the tournament and it's another exciting landmark ahead of the summer."

World Cup preparations take shape

Confirmation of Scotland's training base is the latest part of the team's World Cup preparations to be put into place.

A trio of friendlies have already been lined up as Clarke looks to drill his side for the tests ahead and make a call on which players will make the cut for his final squad.

The first will be against Japan at Hampden on 28 March before a match against Ivory Coast at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool three days later.

There will be a Hampden send-off on 30 May against Caribbean side Curacao, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the finals.

Clarke and his squad will then fly to America to begin the World Cup countdown in earnest, with one more friendly planned. Scotland are understood to be lining up a match against Peru in New Jersey as a final warm-up before facing Haiti.

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