Thomas Tuchel has expressed his belief that England can progress ‘a long way’ at the 2026 World Cup, as the squad prepares to travel to the United States for the tournament. The England manager, speaking to Sky Sports, said he feels ‘excitement’ and ‘full belief’ after reconnecting with the team in training sessions and meetings.
England will fly to Miami, Florida, today for a pre-camp and two warm-up matches before moving to their permanent base in Kansas City on 13 June. Tuchel named his 26-man squad over a week ago and has been finalising preparations for the competition.
Tuchel praised the squad’s attitude, noting that even players not called up reacted positively. ‘There were beautiful, touching reactions from players who were not called up, wishing us all the best,’ he said. ‘That tells me we are on the right way.’
Addressing concerns about high temperatures during the World Cup, Tuchel acknowledged the challenge but insisted it would not be used as an excuse. ‘It is not our biggest enemy but it is not to our advantage,’ he said. ‘We have cooling strategies in place and help from specialists.’ He noted that England’s first game is indoors with air conditioning.
England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June, followed by fixtures against Ghana and Panama.
