Spiez, Campo Bahia, Watutinki – the German World Cup quarters are always a hot topic, they are almost mythical places. A review.
When the German national team makes its World Cup quarters in the summer Graylyn Estate in Winston Salem, North Carolina one or two players will breathe a sigh of relief. With the noble property in the neo-Romantic architectural style, the DFB seems to have found extremely comfortable accommodation in the United States for the players.
Can things only get better after Russia and Qatar?
The association has proven at the last two World Cup tournaments that there is another way. The sober room furnishings in Watutinki, Russia during the 2018 World Cup and the isolation in the Qatari Zulal Wellness Resort in the middle of the desert have left scars in German football memory.
Dark memories of Russian Watutinki
What’s more, especially at the World Cup in Russia, many observers even saw the accommodation as a reason for the DFB team’s early exit. The austere block buildings, an hour’s drive from Moscow, were unsuitable for igniting a team spirit.
There was no World Cup atmosphere here in the Hotel Watutinki in 2018
The national coach at the time, Joachim Löw, spoke of the “charm of a sports school”. And national player Toni Kroos said at a press conference that the facility at least makes people look forward to their next vacation.
Spirit of Spiez and noble castle
And nobody should know better than the DFB how important nice accommodation is for the success of a tournament. When the first World Cup title was won in Switzerland in 1954, people spoke about the “spirit of Spiez”. In the Hotel Belvédère on Lake Thun there, a special camaraderie developed between the players, which made the final victory in the “Miracle of Bern” against Hungary possible.
The “Spirit of Spiez” was created here in 1954 – in the Hotel Belvédère on Lake Thun
And the DFB also had exclusive residence at the third World Cup title in Italy in 1990. In the Casiglio Castle The Italian legionnaires, of whom there were several in the DFB team, particularly felt at home near Lake Como.
Brazilian sun in Campo Bahia
The most famous World Cup quarter for the German national team is probably the Campo Bahia at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. And not only that. The then DFB President Wolfgang Niersbach even described it as the best accommodation of all time. The facility, built by German entrepreneurs, was only completed a few days before the DFB team arrived.
The pictures of the players jogging on the beach and Joachim Löw strolling along the Atlantic in sunglasses are unforgettable. In the end there was a final victory against Argentina and thus the fourth star for Germany.
The then national coach Joachim Löw (2nd from left) taking a walk on the beach near Campo Bahia
Spartan accommodation at the home World Cup in 1974
So can the national team only be successful with luxurious accommodation? The sober Malente sports school provided proof to the contrary at the home World Cup in 1974. “In Malente you go crazy”team captain Franz Beckenbauer is said to have said after three weeks there. The sober sports school and the isolation from the public on the grounds in Schleswig-Holstein probably didn’t particularly appeal to the “Kaiser” and his team.
At least the training ground in Malente seemed to be in good condition in 1974
The DFB team initially had a difficult time at the World Cup in their own country. After the 0-1 defeat against the GDR in the third group game, the national team pulled itself together on the “Night of Malente” – and became world champions for the second time a few weeks later.
“Dead Dog” and Castle Hotel
By the way, things didn’t get any better when it came to accommodation at the next World Cup. In 1978 in Argentina, the DFB team was accommodated in an officers’ school of the Argentine Air Force. The name Ascochinga probably said it all, translated it means “dead dog”. Germany was eliminated in the second round.
By the time of the second home World Cup in 2006, the barracks and sports schools of the 1970s had long been forgotten. The DFB players experienced the summer fairytale from the Schlosshotel Grunewald in Berlin – with five-star luxury. It remains to be seen whether luxury in North Carolina can keep up. At the beginning of June, the DFB will move into the quarters and work there on the next chapter of World Cup history.