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England begin World Cup preparations in Florida with 21 players on the pitch

Thomas Tuchel's England squad held their first training session in the United States on Tuesday, with 21 of 26 selected players taking part in West Palm Beach. The five European finalists from Arsenal and Crystal Palace were absent after their respective finals last week.

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England begin World Cup preparations in Florida with 21 players on the pitch
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England held their first training session on American soil on Tuesday, with 21 of their 26-man World Cup squad taking to the pitch at a community session in West Palm Beach, Florida, as they begin acclimatising to the heat of a North American summer.

The five players absent were those involved in European finals over the past week: Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, along with Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The quartet selected by Thomas Tuchel to supplement the main group — Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, Arsenal forward Ethan Nwaneri, Fulham’s Josh King and Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele — were also on the pitch.

The squad flew into Florida on Monday evening and will ramp up the intensity of their work over the coming days. Their first competitive test comes on Saturday in a warm-up friendly against New Zealand in Tampa Bay, followed by a second preparatory match against Costa Rica the following Wednesday.

England then relocate to their tournament base in Kansas City ahead of their Group L opener against Croatia on 17 June, with the final scheduled for 19 July.

Tuchel has spoken openly about his ambition to add a second star to the England shirt this summer, though the logistical challenge of a tournament spread across three countries and four time zones makes this edition of the World Cup one of the most demanding in recent memory. England have not won the tournament since their home triumph in 1966.

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