Brighton & Hove Albion scraps France camp
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club changed its French preseason plans after helicopter landings damaged the pitches in Évian-les-Bains. The Premier League team had planned to train there from July 23 until August 1.
The site had hosted activity linked to the June 15 to June 17 G7 summit. Club staff reviewed the playing surfaces before travel and found the planned training pitches unsuitable for preseason work.
Brighton & Hove Albion moves to Austria
Brighton shifted the European camp to Austria after the French site failed its late condition check. The switch kept the team abroad while reducing the risk of training on surfaces staff deemed unsuitable.
The late change came during a short preseason window before competitive matches in August. Brighton still had to prepare for European qualifying duties and a Premier League opener against Aston Villa.
G7 helicopters caused pitch concerns
Helicopter landings connected to the G7 summit damaged the pitches Brighton had planned to use in Évian-les-Bains. Reports said the playing surfaces were later considered unsuitable for the club’s planned preseason training block.
The issue forced Brighton to abandon the France camp and arrange an alternative base in Austria. The Annecy friendly was canceled, while the Strasbourg match remained on the preseason schedule.
Évian-les-Bains hosted G7 summit
Évian-les-Bains hosted the 52nd G7 summit from June 15 through June 17, 2026. The French resort town sits in Haute-Savoie, near Lake Geneva and close to Switzerland.
Official summit information listed France as the host and Emmanuel Macron as the summit president. The event brought G7 leaders, European Union representatives, and invited heads of government to the lakeside location.
Brighton staff checked the pitches
Brighton sent staff to inspect the training pitches before the squad traveled to France. The review found conditions below the standard needed for a professional preseason block and planned match preparation.
The finding mattered because preseason camps combine fitness work, tactical drills, and recovery sessions. Unsafe or uneven playing surfaces can affect training plans, especially when a league opener sits less than one month away.
Annecy friendly gets canceled
Brighton’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Annecy on July 25 was canceled after the French camp changed. The match had been part of the club’s private preseason schedule in Évian-les-Bains.
Brighton had announced two closed preseason games in France, starting with Annecy on July 25 and followed by Strasbourg on August 1. The Annecy cancellation removed one early chance to test match rhythm before August.
Strasbourg match stays on schedule
Brighton’s match against Strasbourg on August 1 remained on the preseason schedule after the camp change. The club had listed that game as the second private fixture on its planned visit to France.
The Strasbourg game offered a remaining closed setting for tactical work before friendlies open to supporters began. Brighton needed those minutes because its August schedule included domestic and European obligations before competitive games began.
Roma and Bologna visit Amex
Brighton’s first friendlies open to supporters remained scheduled at the Amex against Roma and Bologna at home. Roma were due on August 8, followed by Bologna on August 15 in East Sussex.
Those fixtures gave Brighton two home tests after the disrupted France plan. The dates also placed both matches before the club’s expected European play-off and Premier League opening weekend during August.
Premier League opener remains set
Brighton’s 2026-27 Premier League campaign was scheduled to open at the Amex at home on August 23. The opponent was Aston Villa, with a kickoff listed for 2 p.m. local time.
The opener followed Brighton’s altered European camp and August preseason friendlies. The club, therefore, entered final preparation with less certainty about the training location but with no announced change to the league fixture.
Brighton finished eighth last season
Brighton finished eighth in the 2025 to 2026 Premier League table with 53 points after 38 matches. That finish put the club in contention for European qualification and shaped expectations ahead of the new campaign.
The club’s late-preseason disruption came after a season built on steady league results. The camp change did not erase last season’s position, but it narrowed preparation time before August matches.
Fabian Hürzeler faces timing issue
Head coach Fabian Hürzeler had to adjust the training logistics shortly before the squad’s planned departure to France under tight timing. The switch meant staff needed a usable venue, accommodation plan, and revised schedule quickly.
Brighton trained at its Lancing base while the club arranged the Austria alternative. That kept daily work moving, but the planned 10-day stay in France no longer existed for the preseason.
G7 detail makes disruption unusual
Brighton’s issue stood out because a global political summit indirectly altered a Premier League club’s preseason plans. The cause was not travel choice, opponent availability, or routine facility maintenance alone.
The unusual link drew the story to a wider audience beyond Brighton supporters. World leaders had used the same type of field that a top-division soccer club later needed for preseason training.
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Brighton still keeps core schedule
Brighton’s France camp was scrapped, but the wider preseason calendar still included Austria and later friendlies in the final block. The club kept focus on match fitness before a demanding August return abroad.
The immediate answer is simple. Brighton had to leave Évian-les-Bains because G7 summit helicopter landings left the intended pitches unsuitable before the club’s planned France training camp there that week.
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Should Brighton have trusted the French pitches longer, or was moving the preseason camp to Austria the sensible decision? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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