Why are England playing Senegal in Nottingham?
England's friendly against Senegal on Tuesday is taking place at the City Ground in Nottingham as Wembley enters concert season.
The Three Lions traditionally play their home matches at the national stadium, but their final match of this season will be staged at Nottingham Forest's home ground.
Advertisement
Wembley will host seven concerts in the next month, then another 19 - plus Oleksandr Usyk v Daniel Dubois - before England's next match there, which is against Wales on 9 October.
The World Cup qualifier against Andorra in September will be held at Villa Park.
The last time the City Ground hosted England's first team was in March 1909, when they were 2-0 winners over Wales in a Home Championship match.
Speaking after the announcement of the friendly, England boss Thomas Tuchel said: "Facing a strong African team in a passionate city with rich football heritage can only help us on the road to the World Cup.
Advertisement
"While I know Wembley is our home, I also understand the importance of taking the team around the country when we are able to and the opportunity to experience playing at a famous old English stadium such as the City Ground is one we can all look forward to."
England's recent history away from Wembley
England's last home match away from Wembley was a warm-up match for Euro 2024 against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James' Park [Getty Images]
Last June, England played Bosnia and Herzegovina at Newcastle's St James' Park.
Since 2018, they have also played home matches at Old Trafford, Molineux, the Riverside Stadium, St Mary's, the King Power Stadium and Elland Road.
Stadiums selected must comply with Uefa's regulations, have suitable training complexes nearby, and availability.
Advertisement
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
What is Ask Me Anything?
Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.
We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.
The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.
We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events.
Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.
More questions answered...
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Mauricio Pochettino: Blame me for USMNT hammering by Switzerland
U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino immediately took the blame after his side was thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland in a friendly in Nashville on Tuesday night. Pochettino's starting XI featured six MLS players and 21-year-old Paxton Aaronson and the level of inexperience was evident from the start as the Swiss manhandled the Americans and scored four goals in a span of 23 minutes before half time. Advertisement Pochettino attempted to shield his players from criticism during his post-match press conference, urging for the finger to be instead pointed at him. 'I don't like to give excuses. I'm the guilty one here,' he said. 'If you want to criticize me, go ahead.' After the USMNT's fourth straight defeat, Pochettino admitted that his starting lineup was exposed against a much more seasoned European opponent and vowed to avoid making the same mistake in the future. 'First of all it's our responsibility and my responsibility for the choice of the starting XI,' said Pochettino. 'We wanted the entire team to have minutes and to play. I think that can go in the wrong direction. We were never in the game (in the first half) against Switzerland who have experienced players and are playing very well. I thought 'I can't blame the players. It's on us.' 'That decision didn't work,' he continued. 'And when that decision doesn't work you have to be critical of yourself.' Pochettino attempted to minimize the blowout loss by saying that a shift to a back three and the inclusion of more experienced U.S. players evened the game in the final 45 minutes. 'The positive in the second half was that the team matched Switzerland in all areas. That's the takeaway we have to take.' It's certainly a low bar to accept that a 4-0 loss before the U.S. begins Gold Cup play is anything but positive. But Pochettino insisted that the defeat wasn't a sign of something more concerning. 'The players are very motivated to go to the Gold Cup,' he said. 'The circumstances are the circumstances. Maybe we can win the Gold Cup and go to the World Cup and do well. The loss (to Switzerland) won't have a massive impact on our psychology.' Asked if any players on the night had impressed or proven that they are international caliber players, Pochettino again shifted the spotlight onto himself, one that has dimmed considerably since he was announced as Gregg Berhalter's successor last September. Advertisement 'We have to take the pressure off the players. We have to help them,' he said. 'It was my decision and it was my fault. But it was with a good intention to give all the players a chance to compete for the Gold Cup. We matched Switzerland in the second half but the feeling from the first half was really bad.' 'We wanted to play two important teams from Europe,' Pochettino added. 'We wanted the players to feel this high level. These things can happen. We told the players to move (at half time) and play on. The players who came on did so in a difficult circumstance. They were 4-0 down. I liked the personality of the team in the second half. Every player off the bench contributed.' Pochettino was pressed by reporters to name a player who had stood out. The 53-year-old Argentine stressed that assessing any players after that first half was 'difficult.' 'After a performance like that it's difficult to say after 90 minutes that this guy is in or out,' said Pochettino. 'We can't blame the players for that first half. My responsibility is to build the team. It's my responsibility. It's not to blame the players. But I think it's important for young players who have made a debut to see that it's a high level. You have to give more. With more experienced players in the second half we matched the opponent. For the Gold Cup we'll learn from that and make better decisions in the future.' Pochettino repeated throughout the 20-minute press conference he and his staff will not let Tuesday night's loss repeat itself. However, only one team took the match seriously. The U.S. and Pochettino were exposed, with both tactical and technical flaws evident from the get go. Asked if he was concerned that U.S. fans are losing faith in the team and may support Pochettino's side moving forward, Pochettino answered bluntly. 'The fans are going to be with us (at the World Cup).'
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kluivert tells Indonesia to learn from Japan thrashing in World Cup hunt
Patrick Kluivert has taken Indonesia to the fourth round of Asian qualifiers for next year's World Cup (PAUL MILLER) Patrick Kluivert told his wounded Indonesia side they must learn from their embarrassing 6-0 thrashing by Japan as they attempt to reach the World Cup for the first time as an independent country. Indonesia's dreams of appearing at their first finals since gaining independence in 1945 are still alive after they finished fourth in Asian qualifying Group C. Advertisement They join Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Asian champions Qatar in October's fourth qualifying round, with the draw to be made next month. The winners of the two three-team groups will advance to next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Netherlands and Barcelona great Kluivert admitted that Group C winners Japan were "a size too big" for his team in Osaka on Tuesday. "We need to learn from this big defeat," said the 48-year-old, who took over midway through the third qualifying round. "We're very disappointed, of course, but we have to be prepared for the fourth round, and for me now the most important thing is to look back post-match, learn from it and look forward to the fourth round." Advertisement Indonesia were already guaranteed a place in the fourth round after beating China 1-0 in Jakarta last week. They were outclassed by a Japan team who booked their World Cup place with three games to spare and ended the third round with 30 goals from 10 matches. Kluivert was not helped by a first-half injury to forward Kevin Diks, whose replacement Yakob Sayuri was then substituted 15 minutes later after a clash of heads. Kluivert said Japan were too good for Indonesia but they had to "admit this and carry on". "We tried our best but it wasn't enough," he said. "It was the quality of the players that Japan has in this team. We can talk a lot about it but that's the fact, that Japan was a size too big for us this evening." amk/pst


USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
USMNT vs. Switzerland player ratings: Nightmare in Nashville
USMNT vs. Switzerland player ratings: Nightmare in Nashville Show Caption Hide Caption Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT ahead of World Cup Soccer standout Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT and how Mauricio Pochettino is getting the squad ready ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Sports Seriously The U.S. men's national team is in a tailspin heading into the Gold Cup. In its final tune-up friendly before the Concacaf tournament kicks off, the USMNT was humiliated 4-0 by Switzerland in Nashville on Tuesday. Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo and Johan Manzambi gave the Swiss a four-goal lead within the first 36 minutes. Though the USMNT at least stopped the bleeding from there, that will be cold comfort to a team that looks lost and out of ideas. The USMNT was out-played, out-competed and out-thought en route to its first four-game losing streak since 2007. Things will have to improve in a hurry ahead of the Gold Cup opener on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. Here are our ratings for the USMNT's nightmare in Nashville against the Swiss. As a reminder, here's the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale: 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been been able to play at this level. 6: Adequate. This is our base score. 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 World Cup final. GK: Matt Turner - 4.5 It's hard to see Turner starting in the Gold Cup after another brutal error led to a goal. The soon-to-be Lyon goalkeeper coughed up an easy rebound from Ricardo Rodriguez's shot from distance, which Embolo gratefully deposited into the net. Turner improved in the second half and couldn't be faulted for any of the other goals, but will that even matter? LB: Max Arfsten - 3 The Crew defender will be seeing Manzambi in his nightmares. Arfsten was brutally skinned by the winger in the lead-up to Switzerland's second, which wasn't the only time the Freiburg teenager made him look silly. Arfsten also failed to get goal-side on Embolo on Switzerland's third goal, leading to a simple tap-in. Taken off at halftime. CB: Mark McKenzie - 4.5 Manzambi dribbled past McKenzie too easily for Switzerland's fourth goal, and the center back had a poor giveaway that nearly led to another goal in the second half. On the plus side, McKenzie did go 66-for-68 passing and had a game-high five clearances. CB: Walker Zimmerman - 5 Zimmerman didn't have any glaring errors, but failed to sort out the chaotic mess that was the game's opening 36 minutes. Playing on his home field, Zimmerman was too much of a bystander in a team that needed more leadership. RB: Nathan Harriel - 3.5 It was, unfortunately, a nightmare for Harriel against the Swiss. The Union right back completely lost Ndoye on Switzerland's opener, letting the winger easily sneak behind him. Harriel was also exposed on Switzerland's second, as he gave Aebischer a criminal amount of space for a tap-in on the doorstep. CM: Johnny Cardoso - 5.5 It was at least a better performance for Cardoso than against Turkey, when he was at fault for a comical goal. The Real Betis man was 52-for-54 passing, including three of four on long balls. Cardoso popped up with some vital defensive interventions too, but was also unable to organize the midfield effectively during the first-half onslaught. CM: Sebastian Berhalter - 5 Berhalter was eager to impress in his first USMNT cap, which worked against him at times as he missed tackles and was bypassed in central midfield. He looked a bit more comfortable in the second half after Diego Luna and Malik Tillman entered, which pushed him out to a position more wide right. LW: Paxten Aaronson - 4 Aaronson was a non-factor in his first USMNT appearance since January 2023, and only his second ever. The midfielder played a bit higher up than he did during a hugely successful loan at Utrecht this season, and was part of a midfield that couldn't gain any control of the game. CAM: Brenden Aaronson - 4.5 Had some promising attacking moments in an active start to the match, but saw his influence completely wane over the course of the first half. Only managed 18 touches and seven of eight passes before he was withdrawn at halftime. RW: Quinn Sullivan - 3.5 Making his first USMNT start, Sullivan was hesitant and inefficient during the rare occasions he got on the ball in Switzerland's half. In his own half, he had a poor giveaway that led to directly to Switzerland's fourth. Sullivan was hooked at the break. ST: Brian White - 3.5 White managed just 19 touches before being withdrawn at halftime. He didn't impress with those minimal chances, either, with some poor hold-up play and a particularly soft pass to kill a U.S. chance to run at the defense. Sub: John Tolkin - 5 Coming on at the break, Tolkin was at least an improvement on Arfsten, but didn't connect with teammates on his runs forward. He was solid defensively, though he wasn't asked to do as much as Arfsten after the USMNT switched to a three center back formation. Sub: Tim Ream - 5 Ream helped restore some calm on the back line after coming on at halftime. The veteran still wasn't at his best, as he misplaced some passes and showed his physical limitations when Ndoye blew past him in open space. Sub: Malik Tillman - 6 Tillman provided some attacking onus after his halftime introduction, combining well with teammates and playing a game-high three key passes. Flailed wildly at a volley, though, on his one decent look at goal. Sub: Diego Luna - 5.5 Luna should be a lock for this XI because he simply tries hard. The Real Salt Lake man didn't have much joy in the final third, but he at least raised the level of competitiveness in the midfield. Sub: Patrick Agyemang - 6.5 Agyemang was lively after coming on at halftime, drawing four fouls including two yellow cards that resulted from his physical hold-up play. A clear upgrade on White on the evening. Sub: Damion Downs - N/R A quiet first cap for Downs after coming on in the 75th minute.