When supporters of the England national football team travel abroad, they carry more than scarves, chants, and matchday traditions. They carry with them the story of a nation — one that has endured great trials and risen to meet them with resilience, determination, and courage.
For fans traveling to the United States during the World Cup, many will find themselves spending time in Kansas City, which has been selected as England’s base camp during the tournament. The city will become a gathering point for England supporters from around the world.
And just a two-hour drive east of Kansas City, in the quiet heart of Missouri, sits one of the most remarkable places any England fan can visit while in America: the America’s National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri.
For English visitors in particular, it is an extraordinary and unexpected discovery. In a small Midwestern town stands one of the most important memorials anywhere in the world to one of England’s greatest leaders: Winston Churchill.
Where History Changed the World
The museum sits on the campus of Westminster College, where Churchill delivered his famous “Sinews of Peace” speech in 1946 — the address that introduced the phrase “Iron Curtain” and helped define the beginning of the Cold War.
It is one of those rare moments in history where a speech delivered in a small town echoed across the entire world.
Visitors can stand in the very place where Churchill spoke, warning of the dangers of tyranny and calling for unity between Britain and the United States. In many ways, that partnership helped secure the freedom that much of the world enjoys today.
For football fans accustomed to the roar of Wembley or the passion of international tournaments, there is something deeply powerful about standing in this quiet hall where words — not goals — changed the course of history.
Churchill the Scrapper
Football supporters understand something about grit.
Every England supporter knows the feeling of watching a team dig deep, refuse to surrender, and fight until the final whistle. It is the spirit of the underdog, the refusal to quit, the belief that perseverance matters.
That same spirit defined Churchill.
Before he became the towering wartime leader remembered today, Churchill endured years of criticism, political setbacks, and political exile. Yet when Britain faced its darkest hour in 1940, it was precisely that stubborn resilience — that refusal to back down — that carried the nation through.
Churchill was, in many ways, the ultimate scrapper.
He rallied a nation that stood alone against tyranny and reminded the world that courage and determination could still prevail.
For England supporters who understand the meaning of fighting spirit, Churchill’s story resonates deeply.
From the Iron Curtain to the Fall of the Wall
Fulton is not only where Churchill warned the world about the Iron Curtain — it is also home to a powerful reminder of how that story eventually ended.
On the grounds of the museum stands “Breakthrough,” a striking sculpture created from eight original sections of the Berlin Wall.
The artwork symbolically tears open the wall, representing the triumph of freedom over division. It is a fitting monument for the place where Churchill first warned the world about the dangers of Soviet expansion.
For visitors, the symbolism is powerful: the warning delivered in Fulton in 1946 and the eventual fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 are chapters of the same story — the long struggle for liberty that defined the second half of the twentieth century.
England’s Story in the Heart of America
The museum itself is extraordinary.
Inside, visitors will find powerful exhibits telling the story of Churchill’s life, Britain’s leadership during World War II, and the enduring alliance between Britain and the United States.
Perhaps most remarkable is the reconstructed Church of St. Mary Aldermanbury, a London church destroyed during the Blitz and painstakingly rebuilt stone by stone here in Missouri as a memorial to Churchill’s leadership and the resilience of the British people.
Standing inside that historic church — originally from London — you are reminded of something profound:
Even thousands of miles from home, the story of England still lives here.
A Perfect Excursion for England Supporters
With England’s team based in Kansas City during the tournament, supporters will have time between matches to explore the region.
A short drive across Missouri farmland brings you to Fulton — and to a place where England’s story is honored in a deeply meaningful way.
It is not just a museum.
It is a reminder of the character that defines England itself.
A Lesson That Still Matters
Churchill once said:
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
It is a message that applies to football just as much as it does to history.
Whether on the pitch or in the defense of freedom, the lesson is the same: resilience matters. Leadership matters. And the willingness to stand firm in difficult moments defines great nations — and great teams.
So when England supporters find themselves in Missouri — whether cheering their team in Kansas City or exploring the American Midwest — there is one place that deserves a spot on the itinerary.
Visit the America’s National Churchill Museum.
Stand where Churchill spoke.
Walk through the rebuilt London church.
See the fragments of the Berlin Wall broken open in the name of freedom.
And raise a quiet toast to one of the greatest fighters in England’s story.
Because long before football chants echoed through stadiums, another voice once rallied a nation to stand firm.
And that voice still echoes here — in the heart of Missouri.