In 2026, Schalke 04 will not be traveling to a winter training camp. The team will complete its preseason preparations entirely in Gelsenkirchen. Here are the reasons.

One day after the German Football League finalized the schedule for second-division matchdays through the end of January, FC Schalke 04 also released further details regarding its winter plans. It is now certain: There will be no trip to a training camp in January.

Instead of preparing for the second half of the season in Southern Europe, the Royal Blues will remain in Gelsenkirchen—despite potentially difficult training conditions in early January due to the cold weather in Germany. Muslic cites the tight schedule as the reason for the decision against a training camp.

Before Christmas, Schalke will play at Eintracht Braunschweig on December 21. On January 17, the Royal Blues will then kick off the second half of the season with an away game at Hertha BSC. After a short break over the holidays, Schalke will therefore have only about two weeks to prepare for the second half of the season. A trip to a training camp would mean losing two potential training days just for travel to and from the camp. “I believe we have optimal conditions here as well,” says Coach Muslic.

It’s also true that the decision against a training camp saves Schalke a lot of money. Since there is no longer an airline partnership, both flights and hotels for the team and staff would have to be paid for out of pocket—in total, a training camp can quickly cost a six-figure sum.

For some fans, however, the decision to skip the training camp is bad news. In recent years, Schalke has always been accompanied to training camp by several hundred supporters. In 2022, there was no winter training camp due to the coronavirus. In 2023 and 2025, Schalke was in Belek, Turkey, near Antalya, and in 2024, the Royal Blues traveled to Albufeira, Portugal.