Welcome to the first day in the Big Brother house. The England media center is located in a castle in Blankenhain, just a couple of miles away from Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land, where the team is training.

The training facilities are pretty decent, with impressive pitches in the middle of a golf course, creating an amazing set-up that many believe is the best they have had for any tournament. This is a significant improvement from the 2006 World Cup in Baden Baden when showbiz overshadowed the football.

Gareth Southgate enjoys the privacy and seclusion of the training base to focus on the tournament. The team did a public training session in Jena to connect with the locals as required by UEFA.

About 500 kids turned up to see Harry Kane, who has become a national hero in Germany. It was good to see John Stones training fully, as he is crucial to England’s defense, especially with injuries and a lack of experience without players like Harry Maguire.

The team has faced some challenges, with Manchester City’s player missing Wednesday’s first training session at Weimarer Land due to illness. However, the other 25 players trained as usual.

The nearest city, Erfurt, is a picturesque setting full of history and trams, a lovely part of the world but a far cry from the bright lights of big cities like Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich.