News (engl.)

The German men’s national team will establish its Team Base Camp for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad will stay at The Graylyn Estate and train at Wake Forest University, located just minutes away. The media center will also be based on campus. Originally built nearly a century ago as a private residence, The Graylyn Estate now operates as a hotel owned and managed by the neighboring university. 

Julian Nagelsmann says: "With our Home Ground at the adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, we have a place that allows the team to come together regularly while still providing the peace and privacy we need. We have found the same conditions here at The Graylyn Estate. From a coaching and team perspective, the key factor is the proximity to the training pitches. We have three fields in excellent condition that meet all of our sporting requirements, and they can be reached on foot or by bike in less than ten minutes. That’s a decisive advantage. Given the vast distances across the United States, Canada and Mexico we already cover long stretches when traveling, so we want to avoid additional journeys in our daily training routine. With this base camp, we have achieved just that." 

Nagelsmann added: "The cooperation with Wake Forest University is outstanding. Many of the resources we need are already available on site, so we don’t have to bring everything from Germany. That makes logistics much easier. We have excellent conditions here, both on the pitch and beyond."

"Wake Forest University is truly honored to host the German Men’s National Team as its official training base for the FIFA World Cup 2026," Wake Forest University President Susan R. Wente said. "We are eager to welcome one of the world's premier soccer teams to Winston-Salem, our Triad community, and to Wake Forest's W. Dennie Spry Soccer Stadium - one of the top soccer facilities in the nation, and to the Gralyn Estate - one of the nation’s most historic and highly sought-after boutique hotels. This global partnership reinforces our dedication to support a vibrant, connected region, and we are enthusiastic about the possibilities of making the World Cup experience available to our community.” 

Andreas Rettig, Managing Director Sport of DFB GmbH & Co. KG, says: "With this Team Base Camp, we are creating the best possible conditions for a successful tournament. The environment is ideal - both in sporting and infrastructural terms. The team behind the team at the DFB has, with great precision and passion, identified the perfect base camp for us through an extensive process across the three host nations. Our close and constructive cooperation with FIFA, as well as with the local authorities, Wake Forest University and the hotel management, has been key to making this possible. Thanks to the draw, we were able to implement our preferred scenario."

The sporting management and team administration of the national team visited several potential base camps across the three World Cup host nations last year. Following the draw on December 5 and the subsequent confirmation of the group-stage venues, the plans were finalized. 

The national team will depart from Frankfurt to Chicago on June 2 to prepare for the World Cup and the final pre-tournament friendly against co-hosts USA on June 6 (kick-off 8:30 p.m. CET). From Chicago, the team will travel to its base camp in Winston-Salem. Germany’s first group-stage match in Group E will take place on June 14 in Houston against World Cup debutants Curaçao (kick-off 7:00 p.m. CET). On June 20, Germany will face Ivory Coast in Toronto (kick-off 10:00 p.m. CET) before concluding the group stage on June 25 (kick-off 10:00 p.m. CET) in New York New Jersey against Ecuador.