England to be based in Zurich for European Championship title defence

Defending champions England will be based in Zurich for this year’s European Championship in Switzerland.

Following a year of research by the Football Association in which 23 facilities were assessed, it has been confirmed that England will stay in the five-star Dolder Grand Hotel on the outskirts of Zurich and their training base will be Sportanlage Au, home of FC Glattbrugg.

The base camp’s location also aims to minimise travel and maximise recovery for the Lionesses’ group-stage fixtures.

England won the last European Championship on home soil in 2022, securing a first major trophy after beating Germany in the final at Wembley, and their title defence begins in July, starting with games against France and the Netherlands in Zurich.

The Lionesses finish their Group D campaign with a clash against neighbours Wales in St. Gallen, which is less than 90km away from their Zurich base camp.

England head coach Sarina Wiegman said: “Finding the right environment for the team to prepare and train but also rest and recover is one of the most important elements for tournament football.

“We’ve seen in 2022 and 2023 our ‘home from home’ has been a key part of our success and we’re very confident we have found another base camp that will meet all our needs.

“My thanks go to the FA for sharing this as a priority and for their support in securing these two top-class facilities. Although there’s a lot of work to be done and many months to go we can’t wait to get going.”

The FA’s women’s technical director Kay Cossington added: “We place huge importance on the identification of a base camp as a project and work began immediately after the World Cup in 2023.

“Over the course of the last year 23 facilities across Switzerland have been meticulously assessed and we’re absolutely delighted to call the Dolder Grand Hotel and Sportanlage Au our home for the tournament.

“The two venues combined will give us the best environment to maximise our full potential in the summer.

“We’re very grateful to both venues for their close collaboration and in particular our thanks goes to the Opfikon local authority for the opportunity for our ground staff to work so closely with their team at Sportanlage Au to ensure the pitch will be delivered to the highest of standards.”