How Charlotte scored Scotland for the World Cup
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Scotland received a proper North Carolina welcome Monday as they began training in Charlotte — sunny with temperatures in the 90s.
Why it matters: Charlotte will not host FIFA World Cup matches during this summer's tournament, but the city, and the state for that matter, will still feel the tournament's presence.
State of play: The World Cup runs Thursday through July 19 across North America.
Catch up quick: Three national teams have chosen North Carolina for their base camps this summer.
- Scotland will train at Charlotte FC's headquarters (Atrium Health Performance Park in east Charlotte). They will not have open training sessions, a Charlotte FC spokesperson confirmed to Axios. A group of school children, however, attended Monday's training session.
- Norway and Manchester City star Erling Haaland will train at UNC Greensboro.
- Germany, a powerhouse that has won the World Cup multiple times, will train at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
Between the lines: Charlotte FC hosted a number of teams that considered making Atrium Health Performance Park their base camp, including Germany, England and France.
- It came down to the priorities of each team, such as privacy, weather or a resort tucked away from everything.
- "Scotland came and they loved everything," Charlotte FC general manager Zoran Krneta said at a recent World Affairs Council of Charlotte event.
- There are also several links between Charlotte FC and the Scottish national team, Krneta said, which helped the deal come together. Among them is Charlotte FC technical director Tommy Wilson, whose experience includes time with the Scottish Football Association.
The big picture: The hope is that Scottish players will return to their respective teams after the tournament and tell their teammates how nice Charlotte FC's facilities are and how much they enjoyed their time here.
- "We want players from Europe to spread the word," Krneta told Axios. Much of Charlotte FC's business on the roster side is done with European teams.
- Another component is having international media onsite covering Scotland. At least 30 media members traveled to Charlotte from Scotland for the tournament, and around 50-60 media members total attended Monday's training session, according to a spokesperson.
- Many of the international contingent commented on how impressed they were with Charlotte FC's facilities.
Zoom out: In Charlotte, Canada spent several days using Charlotte FC's training facilities to acclimate to the heat ahead of the tournament.
- The United States men's national team beat Senegal 3-2 at Bank of America Stadium in front of 57,741 fans on May 31 in a World Cup send-off match.
- Now Scotland will use Charlotte as their base camp for as long as their tournament run lasts. They face Haiti on June 13 at 9pm, Morocco on June 19 at 6pm and Brazil on June 24 at 6pm.
The bottom line: Hosting Scotland helps put Charlotte in the global conversation as the tournament gets underway.
What they're saying: "America is ready to make soccer one of its top three sports," Krneta said, adding that the World Cup will cement this.
What's next: Charlotte will host the MLS All-Star Game on July 29 at Bank of America Stadium.